The Bronx Times
http://www.bxtimes.com/BW_News9.htm
By Jon Minners
America's change begins right in the Bronx.
In what has become a growing national trend to groom young leaders in political and community organizing work, the Center for Community Change recently launched its Generation Change program for social justice leaders and recruited Bronxite Shakya Cherry-Donaldson.
The Morrison Avenue native will take part in a competitive program aimed at introducing a diverse class of young leaders to grassroots community organizing and leadership, paving the way for the shaping of America for future generations.
Cherry-Donaldson will join 24 other exceptional young students taking part in the internship. The young Bronxite will spend the summer interning at NYC AIDS Housing Network, an organization that empowers low-income people living with HIV/AIDS to organize their community to advocate for better housing and sound public policy.
“I think all individuals have a huge responsibility to help improve the communities they are from and those that need improvement,” she said. “Through this lifetime opportunity, I will be able to do just that while strengthening my skills.”
Cherry-Donaldson is already making a difference in her community through her school, Franklin and Marshall College, where she serves on the executive boards of the Black Student Union and the Women's Center, and on a panel designed to increase the number of minority students on her campus.
After a kickoff training session in Nashville, Cherry-Donaldson and the remainder of the Generation Change 2007 class will conduct substantive work and receive intensive training to make sure each intern's experience is a success.
Generation Change is an ambitious initiative by the Center for Community Change to develop the next generation of leaders who will shape America for the next 100 years.
The Center for Community Change was founded in 1968 and grew out of a powerful combination of ideas and events in the 1960s. It was made a reality thanks to several important partners, including the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Fund, the Ford Foundation and leaders of the United Auto Workers.
From the very beginning, the Center's purpose has been to help establish and develop community organizations across the country, bring attention to major national issues related to poverty and help ensure that governmental programs are responsive to community needs.
National organizations incubated by the Center include the Coalition on Human Needs, the Workforce Alliance, the Environmental Support Center , the Rural Coalition, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support.
Generation Change focuses on people aged 20 to 40, offering them several levels of training and support. GC internships introduce young people to grassroots organizing and leadership skills, while fellowships help new organizers develop skills and find full-time positions, and mentorship programs enable mid-level organizers to enhance skills and broaden their perspectives.
While Cherry-Donaldson will be working in New York, other interns will work to increase the minimum wage in Virginia, fight for immigration reform in Maryland, to register people to vote to secure more affordable housing for Tennessee's homeless, and to increase youth employment opportunities in North Carolina.
Once the young Bronx intern graduates from the program, she will become part of a vibrant alumni association that is a growing national network of individuals and organizations committed to addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity, especially at the community level.
“The driving mission of Generation Change is to identify, train and support young people interested in social justice careers,” said Generation Change director Sue Chinn. “The Center believes that nothing is more important to America's future than to nurture the next generation of social change leaders.”
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