Abstract
There is an urgent need to prepare a new generation of Americans for effective leadership in our globalized world. Poverty, conflict, climate change and our economic crisis threaten global security, prosperity and survival. Yet, few Americans possess the language skills, cross-cultural understanding or empathy needed to create innovative, collaborative and sustainable solutions to overcome these challenges. Global Citizen Year (GCY) is preparing a pipeline of new American leaders to provide innovative and effective leadership to address the global challenges of the 21st century. We create opportunities for American students to engage in a transformative year of global service between high school and college. Each year we: - Recruit and train a diverse cohort of high-potential high school graduates as GCY Fellows - Support Fellows through apprenticeships in Asia, Africa and Latin America during a "bridge year" between high school and college - Build a dynamic network of alumni who remain engaged in global issues during college and beyond Abby Falik, Founder and CEO, was propelled to create GCY after her experience in the developing world at the formative age of 16. She carried that experience to Stanford University, where she developed the "bridge year" concept as she pursued her B.A. and M.Ed. After designing and incubating the GCY model at Harvard Business School with a team of graduate students from Harvard and MIT, Abby's dream for GCY has become a reality. To date, we have: - Launched pilot program with 11 Fellows in Senegal and Guatemala - Raised over $1M - Grown a team to include leading experts in social enterprise, global development, international education and exchange, and higher education.
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