This week, 66 inspirational Young Leaders from 17 cities around the world are set for a life-changing experience in Manchester.
The City Football Academy, home to NYCFC sister Club Manchester City, will open its doors for the fifth Young Leaders Summit, inviting participants from a growing network of Cityzens Giving projects.
Five of the Young Leaders selected to participate are from the Cityzens Giving Soccer Bloc project in New York City, supported by SAP. Two have attended a Summit a prior year. The new Young Leaders were selected from a group of 30+ youth from across the City who attended a Young Leader Training program. They were selected for their exceptional leadership skills and a commitment to take their knowledge to address issues youth face in their community.
Together they will access world-class training in community soccer and share learning about how they are collectively using the power of soccer to positively impact on health, education and inclusion within their respective communities.
Official Cityzens Giving Young Leader Summit Partner, Etihad Airways, is generously connecting our young people by flying them from 10 global project destinations to Manchester which, for many, will be their very first experience of international travel.
This year we will be welcoming returning leaders from Manchester, Melbourne, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Beijing, Guangzhou, Bandung and Bangkok in addition to New York City.
These Young Leaders are travelling to the Peak District this week where they will take part in an intensive training programme as they prepare to co-deliver the summit alongside City in the Community coaches.
Returning Young Leader, Kwame King, said "Coming back to the pre-summit is exciting and of course hard work. It’s a great experience connecting with new young leaders from all over the world and getting a grasp of different cultures and communities. It’s beautiful to see how people grow from the first to the final day of the summit. The connections that we make at the pre-summit help create a lasting impact on everyone involved."
Along with the coaches, the returning participants will use the knowledge and expertise that they have gained over the years to enhance the new Young Leaders' confidence, leadership and community soccer coaching skills.
These experienced Young Leaders will then welcome our new Young Leaders from the nine other cities, including the latest additions to City Football’s global community family from Bangalore, Kilifi and Chicago.
Since the program’s inception in 2014, more than 1,000 Young Leaders have been trained in leadership and community soccer coaching as part of Cityzens Giving.
Using the power of soccer to tackle social issues in their communities, they have positively impacted the lives of more than 20,000 children and young people worldwide.
