Cultivating Black Scholar-Leaders Through Research, Reflection, and Global Impact

The Youth Community Leadership Fellowship (YCLF) is a transformative 4-year fellowship for Black undergraduate students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in Delaware. This unique leadership experience is grounded in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and designed to develop socially conscious leaders who are equipped to investigate, challenge, and transform the conditions that shape their communities.

💡 Cohort 1 launches in Summer 2026.

Program Overview:

Each YCLF cohort includes 20 fellows who engage in monthly leadership development sessions, collaborative research projects, and personalized coaching. Over the course of four years, fellows develop their ability to lead with empathy, critical thinking, creativity, and cultural competence—while building lifelong relationships with a community of like-minded scholar-activists.

Program Features:

• Hybrid Learning Model:

  • Fellows will meet twice a month, once in a virtual session (weekday evenings) and once in an in-person session (Saturdays).

• Participatory Action Research (YPAR):

  • Fellows identify critical issues impacting their communities and lead research-to-action projects that center their voice and lived experience.

• Leadership Coaching & Development:

  • Guided by experienced facilitators, students deepen their self-awareness, enhance communication and collaboration skills, and explore their leadership identity through a Black and Afro-Indigenous lens.

• Global Learning Experience:

  • Each fellowship year concludes with a week-long summer trip to an African country, providing students with an opportunity to connect their local leadership work to a broader global Black context.

Grounded in the Learning Pursuits Framework

The YCLF curriculum is built upon Gholdy Muhammad’s Learning Pursuits:

• Identity: Deepening self-knowledge, cultural grounding, and ancestral connection

• Skill: Building practical tools in research, leadership, and communication

• Intellect: Developing deep knowledge of social issues and community systems

• Criticality: Examining and challenging systems of oppression

• Joy: Centering Black joy, brilliance, and community healing