My recent visit to Chicago

Jay OwenGlobal Citizen, Latest Headlines

 

Last week, I returned to Chicago to spend some time with a few of the leaders and young people who are a part of the Obama Foundation’s work in my hometown.

I had a chance to sit down with our University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars to talk about the work they’re doing to create change in communities around the world, along with the challenges they’re facing. Here’s what I heard.

Whether they’re driving innovative and inclusive growth across Chicago’s tech ecosystem, or mobilizing women in rural neighborhoods to become first generation entrepreneurs in India, each Scholar is grappling with how to break through and meet people where they are in a crowded social media environment. Misinformation and disinformation are everywhere these days, and it’s eroding trust in our democratic institutions.

But there’s also good news. Together, we can reimagine our institutions, make them responsive to today’s challenges, and rebuild our societies in a way that gives more and more people a better life. And that’s exactly what the young people I sat down with in Chicago are doing.

I left the conversation feeling inspired.

Around the world and right here in Chicago, there are young people who are not waiting for someone else to solve big problems. Instead, in the face of sometimes impossible odds, they are rolling up their sleeves and making a difference–one neighborhood, one school, one community at a time.

I also had the chance to speak to a group of students at Hyde Park Academy High School on the South Side of Chicago—just across the street from where we’re building the Obama Presidential Center—who are thinking about life after graduation. I got to hear their stories, offer a little advice, and remind them that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Because not too long ago, Michelle and I weren’t so different from them.

And because it wouldn’t be a trip to Chicago without some hoops, I went to a Bulls game with young people from the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and the Girls Opportunity Alliance who spent the evening learning from business leaders about their careers and how the United Center brings the magic to the arena.

The young people I spent time with during my latest visit are the source of my hope. It’s their imagination, resilience, and belief in the value of every voice that will change our world for the better.

Thanks for being a part of this work.

—Barack