Roommates, meet Khadia B., a student of the International Youth Leadership Institute (IYLI)! She believes that a lack of travel prevents Black and Latino youth from being impactful on their communities, so she is super excited about traveling to Senegal this month. Khadia will be studying their culture in hopes of sharing her experiences with her hometown of Brooklyn, NY.
If you didn’t know, The Shade Room has partnered with Russell Simmons to raise funds in order for the IYLI to send their students to Senegal and Mexico where they will study African culture and influence as well as business customs.
The IYLI’s mission is to “nurture a new generation of visionary leaders from the African Diaspora who, inspired by their rich African heritage, are committed to leave a legacy in the world.”
Since 1989, the IYLI have sponsored trips for over 500 less-fortunate Black and Latino youth to study in 40 overseas programs in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa at zero or low-cost thanks to people like you!
Over the past 27 years, the 92% of the IYLI’s alumni have gone on to attend postsecondary institutions such as Columbia, Yale, Howard, NYU, and Brown University. They have also received numerous scholarships like the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Fulbright, and Thomas Watson Fellowship.
So, as you can see, these trips are so necessary for our people and culture to thrive! Whitney Houston said the children are our future, so let’s invest in them!
You can view a detailed description of the trip and words form a few of the students on The Shade Room Go Fund Me page!
Thanks Roommates! Please share this with everyone you know!
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
GoFund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/theshaderoom
