Global Youth Leadership Academy@UCLA

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA is an effort to help shape, influence, and train the next generation of global leaders on how to leverage their unique cultural identities and histories, as well as their political and geographic diversity, to engage in collaboration and dialog about issues that define the future of our global interdependence over the next half of century. This initiative is designed to educate, train, inspire and empower young people by offering them access to structured and unstructured experiential learning opportunities that foster skill development such as communication, problem solving and leadership as well as social emotional well being with the opportunity to hone their skills of empathy, collaboration, and teamwork.

Program Vision Program Mission Program Purpose Program Structure Key Benefits of Program Participation Program History FAQ UCLA EASE Project

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA seeks to identify, empower, educate and train a cadre of youth leaders who can envision a global community where social systems, i.e. educational, economic health care, criminal justice for example, are intentionally built to ensure and support citizens of every race, ethnicity, language, and other identity characteristics to have what they need to achieve the life outcomes they seek and or desire.

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA aims to empower the next generation of global leaders to challenge systemic inequities and create the conditions that allow all nations and people to thrive and achieve their desired outcomes. The program is focused on enriching the lives of young people by promoting youth-centered leadership approaches that build civic engagement, community resilience, and a more equitable society.

In addition, the program trains youth leaders to use research, policy, politics, and advocacy to drive transformative change. Through this training, participants gain the skills and knowledge needed to become effective advocates and change-makers in their communities and beyond.

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA is designed to provide aspiring global youth leaders with a broad perspective of global citizenship and leadership. The purpose is to develop a cadre of youth leaders around the globe who understand and value civic leadership, civic responsibility, and civic engagement. The intent is to build a stronger global community by investing in a well-informed and engaged cadre of global youth leaders.

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA consists of five primary components:

Curriculum Development
Virtual Youth Leadership Training
Educator Professional Learning Opportunities
Nonprofit and Not-for-Profit Leadership Training
A 2-week Arthur Ashe Global Youth Residential Summit at UCLA

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA is designed to enhance the lives of program participants in three broad areas: Social Emotional and Academic Well Being, Leadership Development and Global Citizenship.

Social Emotional and Academic Well Being

Learn how one’s cultural, racial and political identity influences and strengthens one’s unique leadership style and approach.
Exchange ideas and experiences with a diverse cohort of peers across the globe.
Improve negotiation, conflict management, and communication skills.
Translate innovation and strategies which coalesce around civic responsibility, civic engagement and global citizenship into actionable plans.

Leadership Development

Gain the confidence to take bold risks, and advance individual and cultural ideas, philosophies and ways of knowing.
Learn to apply leadership frameworks and leadership strategies to facilitate innovation in thinking and practice to bring about individual and organizational change.

Global Citizenship

Acquire new tools to accelerate systemic and structural change in a global context.
Learn to facilitate innovation and lead cultural change.
Develop organizing and advocacy skills necessary for cultural transformation in a global context.
Build a strong global network of peers.

Although The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA was developed in 2024, the program builds upon the research efforts of Dr. Robert Cooper and the early iterations of the UCLA My Journey To College Program (MyJTC). MyJTC, originally piloted in the summer of 2002, was fully developed and executed in partnership with the California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP)^[1] in the summer of 2017.

^[1] The California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) was established by the California State Legislature in 1984 with a specific goal: to improve the academic quality of public secondary schools, thereby ensuring every student in California is prepared for college. Administered by the CSU in cooperation with the University of California, the California Community Colleges, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), and Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), this collaborative program focuses on schools with low numbers of students entering college and supports partnerships that improve the academic preparation and college readiness of California students.

What is the difference between the The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA and the Arthur Ashe Residential Summit at UCLA?

The Global Youth Leadership Academy@ UCLA is the umbrella organization sponsored by UCLA EASE Project and the Arthur Ashe Legacy Project@UCLA to provide leadership training and development for youth, ages 16 to 21. The Arthur Ashe Residential Summit at UCLA is a 2-week residential program for “graduates” of the Academy designed to better equip the participants to identify and address the complex challenges of an increasingly interconnected world.

The EASE Project is a multidisciplinary project based at the University of California, Los Angeles. Led by Professor Robert Cooper, PhD. The EASE team maintains a commitment to equity through rigorous research, professional development, scholarship, and training.

“The EASE Project is committed to exploring, investigating, exposing, and solving issues of equity in public schools across California. During its time at the University of California, Los Angeles, The EASE Project has built and sustained partnerships with schools across the state of California, making sure to provide the scholarly, practical, and professional support that UCLA has to offer. We work to bring research to practice, and bridge the gaps between academia and communities. The EASE Project is a collection of researchers who partner with practitioners, policy makers, and families to envision new possibilities for the structure and purpose of schools, all with the goal of ensuring higher education and college access for students.”

— Robert Cooper, Ph.D, Principal Investigator

Learn More about the UCLA EASE Project