Grand Circle Foundation supporting a second class of Next Generation Leaders
The 2007 Next Generation Leaders take a break from safari to pose with their drivers and Maasai guides.
“I never dreamed I would have an experience as special as this.” That’s how Jose Rivera—then a high-school senior, now a student at Vassar College—described the nearly two weeks he spent in Tanzania in the summer of 2007 as part of Grand Circle Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Program.
Jose was one of ten Boston-area high school students chosen for the unique, travel-based education program. Harriet, as the chair of Grand Circle Foundation conceptualized the program, and it was piloted in 2007. As Harriet explains, she wanted to create a comprehensive program to develop outstanding Boston inner city students through experiential learning, mentoring, and scholarship.
The pilot program proved so successful, the Foundation has decided to welcome a second class of Next Generation Leaders this spring.
According to Grand Circle Foundation Manager, Serah Makka, selection to the program involves a significant commitment from the students involved. In addition to an investment in their college tuition and/or personal passion, Grand Circle and OAT offer each of the Next Generation Leaders an eight-week paid internship, where they’ll learn about various aspects of the business and also attend leadership coaching sessions.
However, real work experience and exposure to OAT’s corporate values aren’t all that the Next Generation Leaders will enjoy. Just as Jose and his fellow Leaders did, this year’s students will journey to Tanzania with Harriet this summer. (Read Harriet's thoughts about the 2007 group's experience in "Harriet's Favorite Adventures.") The students will work with schools supported by Grand Circle Foundation’s World Classroom initiative—a program designed to foster the education of young people around the world and engage the communities in which they live.
Harriet and her team are currently in the process of selecting eight to ten youth participants for this year’s program. The student candidates have been nominated by Summer Search, Artists for Humanity, City on a Hill, SquashBusters, and West End Boys & Girls Club—four members of Grand Circle Foundation’s Community Advisory Group, a long-standing coalition of Boston-area nonprofits that has benefited from the Foundation’s support.
For the students selected, participating in the Next Generation Leadership program is sure to be an enriching experience. As 2007 participant Jaleela Browder, who now attends the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, says of her eye-opening visit with Tanzanian schoolchildren: “When it comes to educating the next generation, it is worth fighting with all your strength to provide them with the means to learn.”
Harriet and Grand Circle Foundation couldn’t agree more—and we look forward to sharing similar stories from this year’s participants in the months ahead.
To learn more about the work of Grand Circle Foundation, visit their website.