A Brief History of GYLIGYLI began as a positive response to the events of September 11, 2001. Several educators in the Midwest gathered after the terrorist attacks to build a program that would teach high school students about the many religions and cultures they encounter in America and the world. Through the efforts of John Braman, then president of the Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS), the program began to build leadership in a cross-cultural context.
"I saw that that there is a giant misunderstanding about Islam, and I was very worried that it would add to the burden that people of color are carrying in our schools. There was a need for stronger medicine to be applied to the challenges of multiculturalism. And so we came up with an idea of a collaboration with the Pluralism Project of Harvard University."
-John Braman, former President, ISACS
In the summer of 2002, ISACS launched a pilot program called Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), using a combination of presentations about the world’s religions, diverse cultural traditions, and the importance of dialogue, all the while sharing the experience of sailing upon the tall ship, Ernestina. The Ernestina was one of the only vessels that specifically brought African Americans to this country of their own volition. We needed a vehicle that made a bold statement, and that statement is that we sail in the wake of our ancestors. Each one of us has people who came before us and of whom we can be proud.
In the fall of 2003, YLI leaders decided to expand the program into a three year journey and began seeking partners to further the work done on the Ernestina. Our partners—Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, Freedom Schooner Amistad, the Schooner Denis Sullivan, the schooner Lettie G. Howard, The Lama Foundation, and Earth University in Costa Rica—are some of the most unique learning platforms anywhere in the world. As we began our first Year 2 program in 2004, and our first Year 3 program in 2005, we continued to see the value of the model of adults and students learning together to be change agents back in their schools.
In December 2005, YLI became Global Youth Leadership Institute, its own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Last edited by Nick Swider on Apr 3, 2010 - 11:30 AM