LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE
"educating African American youth 4 social change"

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About Us

Over the past 19 years, Leadership Excellence has supported over 5,000 children, youth and families in transforming their vision of themselves and their communities. The agency was founded by Dr. Shawn Ginwright, noted sociologist and author whose work on the fusion of youth development and youth organizing established Leadership Excellence as a national model for serving urban youth. Shawn Ginwright and Daniel Walker along with several other students at San Diego State University founded Leadership Excellence, Inc. in 1989.  They started it to enhance educational opportunities for African American youth from San Diego’s low-income communities.  With support from SDSU faculty and staff, they created Camp Akili, a summer motivational and leadership camp for African American high school students 14-18 years old.  In 1993, the organization moved to Oakland and launched Stand 4 Somethin’ in 1997, Camp Afrique (now Camp Alkebulan) in 1999 and began managing Oakland Freedom Schools in 2000.

Leadership Excellence began as a volunteer organization and over its history has evolved into the premier agency serving African American children and youth in the Bay Area. There have been many successes and challenges along the way. Highlights of our development include:

• Active in several political campaigns including Prop 209, Prop 54, and Measure A
• Selected as Bay Area Coordinator of Million Youth March
• Have served as Fiscal Sponsor to SOS (Saving Our Sisters, Saving Our Selves), TryUMF (Trying to Uplift My Folks), and BayLOC (Bay Area Local Organizing Committee)
• Featured in local media including The Oakland Tribune, City Flight magazine, The Oakland Post, The SF Bayview and others
• Selected to participate in Ford Foundation’s Youth Leadership and Development Initiative (YLDI) an international funding and research initiative on identity-based programs