Learning leadership skills, embracing the power of community action, and experiencing new cultures — these are just a few things Curtis Scholars have benefitted from in years past.  

The Curtis Scholarship is an annual leadership development program to support youth ages 16-20 from underserved communities in the US who embody the values of global citizenship.

Applications for the 2019 Curtis Scholarship will open on March 15 and scholars will be announced on June 3. To learn more about eligibility, requirements, and what you should include in your application, go here.

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Future advocates will participate in weekly sessions leading up to a 10-day learning trip to South Africa, an advocacy trip to New York for Global Citizen Week, and other forms of professional development.

“Just being in South Africa, it has been an eye-opening experience,” 2018 Curtis Scholar Darrel M. said. “What makes it so beautiful is that, throughout everything, I see people who are willing to become better. We need to be awake and we need to support the solutions of the people that it's impacting directly. Africa is capable of solving its own problems."

For Keziah Doudy-Yepmo, also a 2018 Curtis Scholar, the South African word “Ubuntu” — which is described as “I am because we are” — showed her how all people are interconnected, and it instilled in her a passion for community organizing. Divali Legore of Roswell, Georgia, another 2018 scholar, learned that how nonprofits are fighting global hunger. And Alexandra Morales of San Diego, California, gained a deeper appreciation for global inequality and how local injustices often have parallels around the world.

While in South Africa, Curtis Scholars will meet with local advocates, schools, and companies working on social good projects. In New York, students receive an in-depth education on Global Citizen’s advocacy efforts. Before, during, and after these experiences, Curtis Scholars are taught how to become more effective activists in their own lives.

“The whole trip has been a really unique learning experience,” said 2018 Curtis Scholar Alexandra W. “Every day we went to different site visits, we had different initiatives, different schemes. I’ve learned something new about the people, the team I was a part of, I’ve even learned something new about myself.”

You can learn more about the program here.

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