Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow

On February 1, 2025, Affordable Housing For the Carolinas (AHFTC) kicked off its highly anticipated Ignite Your Impact initiative with a special community-building family night at Frye’s Skating Rink in Concord, NC. The evening brought together youth and their families to ask questions, learn more about the program, and enjoy a night of skating, fun, and excitement as they embarked on a journey to develop critical leadership skills, engage in service learning, and make a lasting impact on their communities.

This pilot program serves as the first step for youth before being invited to join AHFTC's Alonzo D. Lord Leadership Academy, a youth leadership program launched in 2023. It empowers participants to become future leaders by developing service learning projects focused on affordable housing and community well-being. Ignite Your Impact equips youth with the skills to identify local issues, design solutions, and take actionable steps to address them.

The Ignite Your Impact program is about more than just community service—it’s about nurturing the leadership potential of youth who are ready to change the world. Participants will go through a four-week training course where they will learn how to develop and implement service projects that tackle pressing issues in their communities. They will also have the opportunity to have their project showcased during the Affordable Housing Awareness Month Breakfast on May 1, 2025, in Charlotte, NC at Johnson C. Smith University.

One youth's project will be selected to not only receive a $300 grant to fund their project but will also be honored as the youth keynote speaker at AHAM. This is a remarkable opportunity to amplify their voice and vision, inspiring others to take action for affordable housing and other vital causes.

The possibilities for service projects are wide-ranging, giving youth the chance to address issues that matter most to them and their communities. Projects could include:

• Raising awareness about affordable housing challenges

• Fundraising for housing initiatives

• Organizing neighborhood clean-ups or beautification efforts

• Creating educational campaigns about housing resources

• Volunteering at local shelters or food banks to support residents in need

These projects allow youth to contribute in tangible ways to improving their communities, while also developing the skills they need to become confident, engaged leaders.

Service learning has been shown to have significant positive effects on youth development. According to The Department of Education, young people who participate in service learning programs are more likely to graduate from high school but also more likely to pursue higher education and engage in their communities. They develop essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork—skills that prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow.

This is particularly important for underrepresented groups, including African American and Spanish-speaking youth, who often face unique social and economic challenges that can limit their access to these transformative opportunities. Ignite Your Impact aims to bridge that gap, providing youth from diverse backgrounds with the resources and support they need to become catalysts for change in their communities.

Markus Cromwell, AHFTC’s Youth Director, shared his thoughts on the power of youth engagement:

AHFTC Youth Director: Markus Cromwell

"Seeing the youth today, gives me hope as many are coming from very tough situations. Some are facing homelessness right now and have so much bottled up inside. It’s time to direct that energy and their voice towards a solution the world needs to hear."

Markus’s words underscore the importance of programs like Ignite Your Impact, which provide youth with the opportunity to channel their experiences, challenges, and hopes into meaningful action. By giving young people a platform to share their voices, AHFTC is helping them become change agents who will lead efforts to address the affordable housing crisis and other social issues.

At AHFTC, we believe that addressing the affordable housing crisis requires more than just building homes—it requires building leaders who can inspire change. Ignite Your Impact is a perfect example of our commitment to going "beyond the bricks" to support youth and their families in a holistic way.

Through this program, AHFTC is investing in the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of the Carolinas and beyond. The youth involved in Ignite Your Impact are not only learning to address housing challenges but also gaining invaluable life skills that will help them succeed in all areas of their lives.

If you’re inspired by the vision of Ignite Your Impact and want to support the next generation of leaders, consider making a donation today. Your contribution will help ensure that more youth have the opportunity to participate in this transformative program and make a lasting impact in their communities.

Donate today at www.ahftc.org/support-us.

For more information about the program or how to get involved, please reach out to Markus Cromwell at info@ahftc.org.Together, we can ignite a spark of change that will shape a brighter, more equitable future for all.