Last week I had the opportunity to experience an organization that is doing amazing work for youth. I was invited to attend a reception and leadership seminar hosted by Usher’s New Look Foundation.
The evening began by attending a reception with stakeholders, donors and other persons interested in making a difference in the lives of young children. I met many people who work in various ways in helping to enrich and expose youth. We were then addressed by Mr. Raymond himself, as well as John Rice, Vice President of GE and a leader in the Health Department in Singapore, Mr. Ang. The Executive Director of New Look, Shawn Wilson provided a great overview of the organization and its mission. Following the reception I had the opportunity to share a room with 150 youth from across the nation and 5 different countries. The youth were excited, energized and engaged. They enjoyed a panel of celebrities as they discussed their individual paths to success and knowledge they have gained along the way.
There were two pieces of information I heard that night that I found to be most interesting. First, of the students that were graduating, all of them, except one who would be joining the US Marines, were scheduled to begin college. Talk about impact and success. Second, Mr. Wilson described the impact of the program in such a mind-blowing way. Essentially, New Look seeks to create a group of culturally literate leaders so that by the time they are operating companies, they will be sitting in the boardroom with other culturally literate young leaders. I really embraced that vision and the prospective outlook on how to help our youth succeed.
Needless to say, I met some wonderful people and left feeling completely inspired to continue in pursuing my passion and purpose (incidentally the name of the presentation). If you have the opportunity, you should take a look at the website and even consider becoming a donor as I can tell you first hand that it is money well spent. http://www.ushersnewlook.org/