Youth Leadership Development
Freedom Fellowship
The flagship youth development initiative at CFS is the Freedom Fellowship program. Freedom Fellows, ages 14 – 17, have an opportunity to ask questions about their lives, to see the connection between the means and the ends of creating change, and to develop as agents of social change. The Freedom Fellowship is a 10-month program that begins with a six-week summer leadership institute where youth Fellows participate in interactive popular education classes, wellness seminars, a Civil Rights Institute, and a 4-day retreat.
In 2009, the summer institute will run from Monday, June 29 – Friday, August 7, 2009. The institute will be followed by a year of mentoring and training during which youth – with the support of an adult staff and volunteers – create and implement an Activism Goal Plan aimed at promoting justice in their communities. The plans must include five components completed at different times throughout the year:
1. Personal Mission Statement
2. List of Focus Issues
3. Personal Action Goal
4. Set of strategies
5. Action and Reflection
To support this work, CFS hosts monthly activism trainings every second Saturday from September to April. Youth in the Freedom Fellowship program receive a modest stipend for their participation.
Read the 2007 Freedom Fellowship Evaluation conducted by the Loyola University Center for Urban Research and Learning.
Youth Leadership Board
The Youth Leadership Board (YLB) is the youth decision-making arm of CFS. It is made up of youth ages 14 – 18 who have actively participated in CFS programs for at least six months. The purpose of the group is to inform, shape and evaluate youth programs at CFS. YLB members are responsible all aspects of their meetings including facilitation, goal-setting, creating agendas, taking minutes, and follow-up. In addition, members assist in the recruitment process for our Freedom Fellowship program, participate in interviews of new staff, serve as representatives for CFS at events and media opportunities, and participate in professional development opportunities.
The YLB meets twice a month from September – May at the Chicago Freedom School Center for Social Change in downtown Chicago. Applications for joining the YLB will be available in September 2009.