April 28, 2015
Youth are not the leaders of tomorrow – Youth are the leaders of today. This is the message that the Fort Collins-based nonprofit Global Leaders promoted at their recent Fiesta de Global Leaders event, which brought together families, community members and high school students to celebrate and support the organization’s service-learning programs.
Global Leaders convenes a group of civic-minded high school students for a year-long dive into domestic and international service work, leadership development, fundraising, cultural education and reflection. Each student performs a minimum of 60 hours of volunteer work in the US (over 1,100 hours already completed in 2015!), and then prepares for a two-week service immersion trip to either Guatemala or Ghana.
At the recent Fiesta fundraising event, 
students shared stories with the audience of how participation in the Global Leaders program had profoundly influenced the responsibility they see for themselves to be servant leaders in the local and international community. The excitement that the students have for service and the mission of Global Leaders was abundant throughout the event, with exuberant cheers rising for each bid during the auction activities and an eager willingness to speak about their experiences individually with attendees willing to listen.
As the Fiesta concluded, it was evident that Global Leaders is abundantly equipping and empowering youth to serve, lead, learn and ultimately create a better world for future generations.
The OtterCares Foundation is proud to support youth volunteerism and philanthropy through a Commuter Fund sponsorship of the Fiesta de Global Leaders event.