Building the bench of future leaders
At Foot Soldiers Park, we believe young people are the leaders of tomorrow and the change agents of today who will carry forward Selma’s legacy and shape bold new futures.
Throughout history, youth have transformed ideas into action and fueled progress with their passion and courage to think big, just as our founder,
Jo Ann Bland, was inspired to take action in the 1960s.
Today, too many young Black Americans face systemic barriers that discourage civic participation, deepen distrust in institutions and disconnect them from their power to lead. Black youth are voting at lower rates, and there is an urgent need to activate, support and engage them in civic education and training them to be active participants in our democracy.
Creating a bright
future for – and with –
the next generation
We envision a future where the energy, passion, and innovative ideas of the next generation are harnessed to drive change and advance our civil rights movement. Our vision is rooted in both history and innovation — preparing youth to honor the struggles of those who came before them while stepping confidently into roles as civic leaders, changemakers, and innovators. Through our Youth Engagement programming we aim to:
Centering young people in today’s civil rights movement
Our Youth Engagement impact area bridges the lessons of Selma’s civil rights legacy with the democratic principles of today’s movement. We center young people in this journey—nurturing their creativity, building a wealth of knowledge, sparking their sense of purpose, and inspiring them to take on leadership roles.
We achieve this through:
We provide spaces for youth to explore their identities as leaders, encouraging self-discovery and authentic growth and integrating it across all of our impact areas, ensuring young voices and input are central to achieving our mission.
Our programming serves as a launchpad for a new youth-led leadership, providing young people with education, access to resources, scholarships and real-life, hands-on experiences in advocacy, organizing, historic preservation, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and public speaking. By moving youth from civic education to civic action, we prepare them to become informed, confident, and effective leaders.
The Youth Advisory Board is a unique opportunity for young people interested in civic life to learn foundational skills, best practices and develop stewardship abilities to participate in and govern a board. By honoring each young person’s potential and nurturing their curiosity to follow and challenge norms, we build the next generation of trailblazers ready to champion justice in their own communities and beyond.
Educating, activating and inspiring
future leaders
Our Youth Engagement impact area is where Selma’s legacy meets the nation’s future. We recognize and amplify youth’s voices and ideas as formidable tools for driving positive change, addressing critical issues, and contributing to the creation of an inclusive and just society.
Legacy Leaders is a national youth leadership development program designed to cultivate youth leaders through intensive training, public service, and civic education and action rooted in Selma’s legacy as the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Every year, a cohort of high-achieving high school students from across the U.S. is selected through a competitive application process.
As part of Legacy Leaders, members of the cohort also elect an official Youth Advisory Board (YAB), a group of high school seniors, to serve as the program’s governance body. These members learn about board governance duties and serve as official advisors to Foot Soldiers Park leadership, helping to shape the organization’s youth engagement strategy, inform Legacy Leaders programming and activities.
The Footprints program offers a comprehensive K–12 civic education rooted in Selma’s civil rights history, democratic principles and youth engagement. Using history-based storytelling, mock elections, mentorship, and learning projects, the program connects Selma’s civil rights legacy to the lived experiences of students today.
The BUILD UP program equips Selma and Dallas County students with knowledge, practical skills and tools to build early financial habits and secure their pathways towards stable financial futures. The program is designed to steadily build money skills, providing culturally relevant lessons and hands-on financial experiences, and connecting financial literacy into core subjects such as math, civics, social studies and economics as a reinforced theme.
Changemaker Labs is a creative and innovative space for youth to lead self-identified and self-initiated community projects that actively support their participation in the building of civic infrastructure and community revitalization.
We need young minds and young ideas. Young people live the problems of today, so they ought to be at the forefront of finding solutions.
Jo Ann Bland, Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Let’s build a better future together
Invest in Foot Soldiers Park as we develop the leaders and changemakers of the future, paving the way for positive change and a just, democratic society.
