Journey to Leadership Program

The Journey to Leadership Program is a free summer leadership and debate training program from the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) for young people ages 13 to 21 in the New York City area. BALI calls it its signature program. It draws on the leadership skills of the late New York Congresswoman Bella S. Abzug. The program welcomes all youth and puts a special focus on female-identifying and gender-expansive young people. It runs for six weeks in total, split into three separate cohorts. Each cohort has about 60 trainees. Sessions run Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students take part in workshops, seminars, guest speaker talks, networking and debate labs. The goal is to build confidence and prepare participants to lead in civic, political, business and community life. BALI programs are free for participants.

Open to ages 13 to 21. Applicants must live in or come from the New York City metropolitan area. There are no academic or skills requirements. Priority goes to youth from underserved neighborhoods or schools. Students fill out an application and then complete a short interview.