Youth Leadership
Youth Leadership aims to reduce barriers to leadership for young people with disabilities in Hawaiʻi through mentorship, civic engagement workshops, and hands-on experience with technology and government processes.
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders
Young people with disabilities in Hawaiʻi face barriers not only to employment but to the leadership opportunities that shape their communities. Youth Leadership aims to change that by giving participants the skills, confidence, and connections they need to lead in civic life, in technology careers, and in their communities.
The forum will bring together young people with disabilities for intensive workshops, mentorship from disability leaders, and hands-on experience with the civic and technology processes that shape public life in Hawaiʻi.
What Participants Will Experience
Mentorship from disability leaders. Participants will be paired with mentors who have disabilities and hold leadership roles in government, technology, nonprofit organizations, and business. These mentors provide guidance grounded in lived experience, not theory.
Civic engagement workshops. Participants will learn how government works in Hawaiʻi: how public meetings operate, how testimony is given, how policy decisions are made, and how to participate effectively in the democratic process. These workshops aim to demystify civic life and empower young people to have a voice.
Technology skills and career exposure. Through hands-on sessions with Access100’s technology platforms and services, participants will gain exposure to careers in accessible web development, civic technology, meeting technology, and data management, building a pipeline to technology employment.
A Pipeline to Technology Careers
Youth Leadership is designed to connect directly with Access100’s other programs. Participants who develop an interest in technology during the forum will have a clear path to on-the-job training and employment through our contracted services.
This is not a one-time event. We aim to build a sustained pipeline from leadership development to skills training to employment, creating a complete pathway for young people with disabilities to enter and advance in the technology workforce.
Get Involved
Youth Leadership is currently in development. Contact us if you are a young person with a disability, a potential mentor, or an organization that wants to support youth leadership in Hawaiʻi.