Program Description

WHAT: Global Potential (GP) is a transformative year and a half youth empowerment and leadership after-school and summer international cultural exchange program. GP’s innovative program is for high school and GED youth aged 15-25 who have a high potential to create social change locally and globally and wish to explore their identities within this context. GP is the flagship program of the non-profit organization called Globalhood, Inc. that focuses on international and sustainable development through innovative initiatives. Over 120 youth have participated in the GP program since 2007 and are becoming the next amazing leaders of our generation as we speak!

WHERE: GP partners with 6 high schools and GED programs in New York (Brooklyn, Bronx, Harlem, Queens) and in Boston (Roxbury, Fenway). These sites are where the weekly workshops take place. For the international component, GP works so far in very active and marginalized rural villages in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua.

WHO: GP recruits 15-25 year old youth from low-income and urban communities who have social entrepreneurial and leadership visions aligned with the GP mission. Most of GP youth are first generation immigrant students to the U.S. and speak a minimal level of Spanish but this is not a requirement. Students have origins from Bangladesh, China, Belize, Guinea, Mauritania, DR, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Senegal, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, El Salvador, Somalia, Ivory Coast, and much more! The rural villages in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua are carefully selected to welcome GP youth for the international cultural exchange and community projects for 45 days during the summers.

WHEN & HOW: GP youth go through weekly after-school GP innovative trainings to acquire the skills and perspective to create real and positive change within themselves, their local community, and the global community . GP explores and empowers today’s at-risk youth’s identities of oppression due to issues of poverty, inequality, racism and xenophobia. GP succeeds in reconstructing healthy and powerful identities through the youth’s participation in an intensive, innovative and thoughtful leadership development program that incorporates the following steps:

• 6-months of weekly trainings* on human rights, social entrepreneurship and leadership skills. This step 1 incorporates education rooted in indigenous knowledge, active fundraising and empowerment of participating youth

• 1.5 months of community development work internationally*, living with host families, carrying out individualized internships/group projects. This step 2 incorporates international cultural exchanges between urban and rural zones, developed and developing countries and international solidarity projects in community development

• 10-months of youth-led social venture development and community engagement* local work upon their return from abroad. Youth leaders support new participants by running information sessions for prospective program participants, by role modeling community leadership, and by mentoring students. This step 3 incorporates social entrepreneurship development, giving back to the communities and to GP through helping to recruit new youth, raise awareness, carry out internships

After graduating from GP, the youth leaders remain involved as alumni and support new participants by running information sessions for prospective program participants, by role modeling community leadership, and by mentoring students in college applications and study skills.

GP believes in international solidarity and collaboration through youth-led projects to finding out of the box solutions to today’s biggest global challenges.

IMPACT: Locally and internationally, youth:

* Create murals and lasting friendships and networks * Make award-winning documentary films * Organize community clean-ups, carry out educational or sports classes * Build community gardens, plant trees, construct houses and roads * Increase their confidence and leadership skills * Receive new ways of understanding their glocal communities and their role within them * Feel more purpose in their life and new strength and skills within themselves * Live through experiences that are key for resumes and college applications as well as increased access to competitive jobs * Are more engaged and committed in their education

Flow Chart of Engagement!

Our Goals

GP has 3 primary goals:

1) To provide a transformative experience for participating youth that will result in higher high school completion rates, college enrollment rates, better employment and lower truancy and crime rates;

2) To demonstrate that youth can lead a social entrepreneurship project;

3) To demonstrate that youth can provide a concrete benefit to their communities and have an impact as global citizens.

Goals are outcome-driven, incorporated into a Goal Attainment Scale framework and measured against baseline data. Participants are compared to a control group, school peers, and New York statistics to determine program impact. We measure the effectiveness of our activities through participatory assessments, evaluations, focus groups and surveys to identify service quality observed and perceived benefits of participation.

We have developed a set of 15 outcomes, based on psychosocial development; acquired hard skills; educational attainment; overseas community benefit; home community benefit. Indicators for success include: Increased self-esteem, leadership, and cross-cultural understanding, increased ability to identify community needs and entrepreneurial skills; rates of employment, engagement in social entrepreneurship, further education/training upon program completion; Improved attendance and academic performance as compared to a control group of their peers.

In 2009, GP will engage directly 20 youth in two schools through our yearly program. We will directly contribute to transformative experiences to 30 more youth through consulting with our partner organizations.

In 2010, GP will engage directly 30 youth in three schools through our yearly program. We will directly contribute to transformative experiences to 50 more youth through consulting with our partner organizations.

In 2011, GP will be based in four schools, serving 50 students directly through our yearly program. We will directly contribute to transformative experiences to 100 more youth through consulting with our partner organizations.

The program will impact youth as they will complete high school, increase academic achievement, enroll in college, and obtain better remunerated employment. Participants will affect change in their own communities by launching social ventures, increasing inter-generational contact and sustaining volunteer activities in their communities.

Overseas communities will also benefit through the development of community projects that increase community assets and resources.