Love at First Site: The Genesis of the YP4-April Joy Relationship

My name is April Joy Damian, a guest blogger from Young People For (YP4). I graduated from UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies, completed a post-bac program at City College of San Francisco, and am currently participating as a YP4 Leadership Academy Fellow prior to beginning medical school.

I first heard about YP4 through an email from a partner organization. My initial reaction to the name of the organization was, "Young people for what?" Intrigued by its name, I decided to visit the YP4 website where I noticed that various issues pop up after the title "Young People For," including, but not limited to, public education, religious freedom, and environmental protection. Thus, while the YP4 home page provides the organization's mission, YP4 in my own words, encourages young people to come up with the process (how) and substance (what) while providing the tools to allow young leaders to achieve both. Rather than dictate what issues are important and the best mechanisms to address these, YP4 challenged me to take a stance on a social concern and to take ownership of how to best resolve it.

As mentioned earlier, I am currently participating in the 2008-2009 Young People For Leadership Academy. The college bubble, both at UC Berkeley as well as at City College of San Francisco, was a mixed blessing. It was in college that I discovered my unique role in the progressive movement and passion to serve as a leader in social justice. I was fortunate enough to meet other like-minded students with whom I was able to build a network of support. As graduation drew closer and medical school was just around the corner, I knew that the end of college did not necessarily mean the end of my "social justice phase." Rather, I wanted to my involvement in the progressive movement to be my way of life. The Leadership Academy was just the right antidote.

As noted in a previous YP4 blog on the Leadership Academy, my participation in the program has provided me with the post-college/pre-grad school support system I need to continue in my progressive work in medicine/public health. The program has weaved a beautiful balance between developing my capacity as a young professional through mentorship and coaching sessions with Cathy Wasserman, while nurturing my humanity and need to laugh, cry, and even simply rest. Through the Leadership Academy, I hope to grow in my leadership capacity both in the professional and personal realms. I hope to have my character, values, and opinions challenged, while also challenging my 20 fellow participants and program staff to think differently.