Inside the First Carnegie Young Leaders Summer Kickoff

What happens when you get 100 young leaders in a room together? Pure energy.

The inaugural Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness kickoff brought together team leads representing 500 of their peers in Princeton, NJ.

These young people are from every corner of the country—rural towns, big cities, red, blue, and purple communities. They’re ages 14–24, with projects rooted in their lived experience. Some are just starting their civic engagement journey, while others are social entrepreneurs looking to scale. All are tackling local challenges that can’t wait.

The kickoff gave them tools—how to solve problems together, how to have difficult conversations, how to tell their story in a way that moves people. This is the full-circle support that makes this Fellowship different. Citizens & Scholars provides the curriculum to help them grow as leaders and work with others in their communities to get things done.

For some, this was the first time leaving their home states. For many, it was the first time being in a space where everyone around them is just as fired up about making change. The team leads connected with their coaches, with each other, and older adult allies who get it. Those relationships matter just as much as the skill-building—they’ll carry both back to their communities.

Now, 500 young changemakers are heading home and ready to put what they’ve learned into action.

Meet the Carnegie Young Leaders Making Change Right Now