The CCCADI Youth Pathways: Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program (SYWLP) is dedicated to offering support to young Black and Brown women, ages 14-18, as they navigate their self-transformation and lifecycle transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Cohort IV - AFRICARNAVAL: Celebrating African Indigenous Heritage and the Leading Women of Carnival

Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program is back for the fourth time, this time taking place from January 8 - March 26, 2024 on Wednesdays from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

In this year, the Sankofa cohort will journey into the belly of Carnival - its origins and the ways in which women were, and still are, central figures to this moving and evolving cultural institution.

Participants will touch on: the music that leads, protects and communicates with spirit, the griotship and history keeping of the oral tradition, the defiance of death through dance, and the covering, protecting, and fantasy of the masquerade.

The Carnival in the African Diaspora became a revolutionary act of preservation, conservation and the continuation of the reinvented African identity and spirit. This overall engagement asks the question: How does the focus on Carnival, through the process of Sankofa, prepare young women to be leaders?

To express your interest in participating in Cohort IV, fill out the application below. The Deadline for all applications is December 4, 2024.

Students will receive a stipend of $500/per student upon full completion of the program

Criteria:

  • Young Women Grades 9 -12

  • Able to attend all sessions in person

  • Able to attend orientation

  • Identify as a Black or Brown Woman of Color

Program Dates & Application

ABOUT

The SYWLP empowers young women to recreate, reclaim and even transform the loss of cultural values caused and exacerbated by enslavement/colonialism, and the centuries of systemic racism and discrimination that followed, by using arts and culture to spiritually connect participants back to the motherland, Africa.

Embodying Sankofa, an African term meaning, “looking back to look forward,” the SYWLP will prepare participants to address racial and social justice issues by utilizing community service to develop strong societal roles. The SYWLP aims to enhance cultural enrichment and empowerment through intergenerational mentoring, international exchange and professional development opportunities. 

Through after-school educational and interactive workshops, the SYWLP will provide mentoring, master classes, internships, peer education, and guidance on project presentation over the course of eight weeks. 

ABOUT YOUTH PATHWAYS

The Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program is part of CCCADI’s Youth Pathways. An arts education program, Youth Pathways is designed to provide Black and Brown youth with space and opportunity to experience active community engagement and advocacy, cultural empowerment and enrichment, and a connection to a larger global movement. The youth are leaders of our Diasporic community and we seek to amplify their voices and vision for meaningful and impactful social change.

Funding for the Sankofa Young Women’s Leadership Program has been provided by: The Pinkerton Foundation, GrantMakers for Girls of Color, Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund and The Hearst Foundation.