BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANKS SO MUCH, BRIAN. SO A NATIONAL NONPROFIT IS LOOKING FOR SOME LOCAL YOUTH WHO ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT TO UPLIFT THEIR COMMUNITY. DREAM.ORG IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR AN EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM AND JOINING US THIS MORNING IS MICHELLE ROMERO, THE CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER. SO GO AHEAD ENLIGHTEN US A LITTLE BIT. WHAT IS DREAM.ORG? WELL, DREAM.ORG IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. AND WE BASICALLY DREAM OF A WORLD BEYOND POVERTY, POLLUTION AND PRISONS. AND WE WORK WITH THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST, FROM GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO THE HOLLYWOOD ELITE, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. SO TELL US ABOUT THE JUSTICE NEXT COHORT PROGRAM. WHAT DOES THAT OFFER? YEAH, I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND BRINGING IT HERE TO SACRAMENTO COUNTY. THE JUSTICE NEXT PROGRAM IS OFFERING 18 TO 24 YEAR OLDS WHO LIVE HERE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY. THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. SO FOLKS WHO ARE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE OR IMPACTED BY THE PRISON SYSTEM AND WANT TO GET INVOLVED AND WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO TO MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE, THAT’S WHAT THE JUSTICE NEXT PROGRAM IS GOING TO OFFER THEM. OKAY, SO APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL APPLICANT. YEAH, APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MARCH 15TH. YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION AT DREAM ORG AND APPLY ONLINE. WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL APPLICANT IS SOMEONE WHO REALLY IS READY TO MAKE CHANGE RIGHT? YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE. YOU COULD HAVE COME HOME RECENTLY FROM PRISON. WE REALLY ARE LOOKING FOR FOLKS WITH NONTRADITIONAL BACKGROUNDS AND LIVED EXPERIENCE WHO JUST WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ARE READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YEAH, SO PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, ALL DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, AND OF COURSE THAT’S WHAT MAKES THE COMMUNITIES BETTER. SO WHAT KIND OF LASTING EFFECTS ARE YOU SEEING FROM THE PROGRAMS GRADUATES? WHAT KIND OF LASTING EFFECTS ARE YOU SEEING THEM NOT JUST IN THEMSELVES, BUT THAT THEY’RE MAKING WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES? YEAH. WELL, THE PROGRAM OFFERS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING, ADVOCACY TRAINING. YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE CHANGE. A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO. WE TEACH FOLKS HOW TO START NONPROFITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO A LOT OF THEM GO ON TO EITHER LEAD CAMPAIGNS FOR LEGISLATIVE REFORMS OR START NONPROFITS TO GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. WHAT SORT OF COMMITMENT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? IF YOU DO SIGN UP AND IF YOU DO APPLY, WHAT KIND OF TIME COMMITMENT IS THIS? RIGHT? IT’S A PART TIME PROGRAM SO YOU CAN KEEP A JOB. NO ONE’S LOOKING FOR YOU TO TO QUIT YOUR JOB. AND THAT’S, I THINK, ONE OF THE THE MYTHS IS THAT IN ORDER TO MAKE CHANGE, YOU NEED TO QUIT YOUR JOB AND BECOME A NONPROFIT. YOU KNOW, STAFF PERSON LIKE ME. BUT NO, IT’S A PART TIME PROGRAM. SO AGAIN, APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MARCH 15TH AND THEN THE PROGRAM, IF SELECTED, WILL BEGIN IN APRIL. AND IT’S FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, UM, MEETING WEEKLY, RIGHT, TO PROVIDE THIS TRAINING. AND JUST LIKE ANYTHING I GOT TO IMAGINE TO IF YOU TAKE PART IN A PROGRAM LIKE THIS, YOU START KIND OF RUBBING ELBOWS WITH LIKE MINDED INDIVIDUALS, AND THAT COULD LEAD TO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL. RIGHT? THAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT THE COHORT MODEL IS THAT, FOLKS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WHO ARE IMPACTED BY THESE ISSUES AREN’T NECESSARILY SURROUNDED BY FOLKS WHO ARE LIKE THEM AND WANT TO MAKE CHANGE. AND SO YOU REALLY WILL BOND WITH YOUR COHORT. EVERYONE IS HERE, LOCAL AND COME UP WITH NEW IDEAS TOGETHER. OKAY. REAL QUICK, GO AHEAD AND PLUG. WHERE CAN FOLKS GET MORE INFORMATION YET AGAIN? YES. SO IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR THE JUSTICE NEXT COHORT, GO TO DREAM. ORG APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MARCH 15TH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YO