How do you define the word leader or decide that one person
is a leader, and another is not? There are leaders by title only. There are
people in decision making roles who make choices only for themselves. There are
also those who lead from anywhere, no matter the title, time or place (or age).
One characteristic of a great leader is that they always have in mind the needs
of others, with a mind and a heart for service.
Recently, The Brandon Foundation scholars have been learning
that you’re never too young to be an advocate and an activist in your
community. The conversation began with talking about big issues in the
southeast Fort Wayne community and in cities around the country. The scholars discussed
redlining, microaggressions,
and police shootings and other topics. Next, they began to think about what in
their own communities they want to change. A few key things that came up were:
improving parks, making neighborhoods safer, and having more options for
groceries.
In order to work towards taking action on community
improvement, the students narrowed down their ideas to one park in particular,
very close to where two TBF students live, that is in great need of updating and
some tender loving care. Our scholars are meeting with the neighborhood
association and the church that owns the property and are in the process of
formulating a plan, including developing a budget. The students are learning
that they too can make changes in the community, if they choose to live to help
others.
Look out for updates in the coming months on this project! I
can’t wait to see what our scholars accomplish!
Thank you for reading!
Abby Bormann & The Brandon Foundation
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