Several young men participate in an exercise during the 2023 Metro East Youth Leadership Weekend hosted by SIU Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. (Photo provided)
November 01, 2024
SIU’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute to host Metro East Youth Leadership Weekend
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will host the 19th Metro East Youth Leadership Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2-3.
The institute’s retreat will welcome young Black males from the Metro East to participate in events that foster personal development and civic engagement. The theme for this year’s event is “Leadership: Young Men Making Your Mark in a Digital Age.” Between 40 and 45 students in eighth through 12th grade will engage in activities designed to promote career awareness, servant leadership and political involvement.
Media availability
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the leadership weekend activities. For more information on events and times, contact Linda Renee Baker, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute university professor and project director, at 217-553-6660 or lrbaker@siu.edu, or Will Becque, institute communications and marketing coordinator, at 618-453-4009 or william.becque@siu.edu.
The program will feature a variety of activities, including breakout sessions with local leaders and group activities at Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center. Alderman Ronnie Mosley, who represents Chicago’s 21st Ward, will deliver the keynote address at 12:45 p.m. Saturday inside the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Mosley is the youngest alderperson serving one of the city’s largest wards on the far south side.
On Sunday, students will hear from Christopher Swims, senior pastor at Hopewell Baptist Church in Carbondale, also at Touch of Nature. They will then participate in various leadership activities before returning to SIU’s campus for a panel discussion. John Shaw, institute director, will then announce the 2024 Paul Simon Leadership and Character Award recipients.
“This is one of the key programs of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute,” Shaw said. “It’s very inspiring to see these young men work together and develop leadership skills that will grow and flourish in the years to come. The alumni of this program are hugely impressive and underscore the power of this leadership weekend.”
The late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, who founded the institute, along with then-associate director Mike Lawrence and Linda Renee Baker, a university professor with the institute, established the program in November 2003. Simon participated in the inaugural event shortly before his death a month later. The leadership weekend ran through 2019 when it was paused until 2023 due to COVID-19.
“I’m delighted to welcome this group of students back to campus as we continue advancing Paul Simon’s mission to build African American male leadership in the Metro East area,” Baker said. “Our program's success over the years is due to the crucial support of our community partners. Their continued support makes all the difference, and this year will be no exception.”