Let me be clear here:
The threat to democracy has nothing to do with traditional
partisan lines or policy preferences.
What's being challenged are the
foundational principles of democracy itself.
So that's the reason for this forum.
We thought it was time for us to sharpen our focus on
what's happening to democracy today.
We are here in New York City,
joined by folks from around the world—
young leaders who have not only identified threats to the democracy,
but more importantly,
come up with solutions
to help strengthen those democracies.
It's the first Democracy Forum and I'm really excited to
hear more about how democracy is
evolving in other places of the world.
True democracy, to me, is the diversity in thought.
Giving a chance for everybody to speak their truth.
It's like a puzzle piece.
You need all the pieces in order to make it complete.
We need to develop understandings around democracy at a young age.
We need our young men to have access to
forums like this, to people like this,
not only on the stage, but off the stage
to really make change in their own lives
and their own communities.
A common thread is how do we get people
more engaged and more involved in
the decisions and forces that are shaping their lives?
How do you make democratic values and forces work?
I'm really confident, I guess, as humans,
that we can work together to solve climate change.
But I guess my fear is that it's going to take us too long.
So what is your advice around how we can continue to work
to solve climate action,
but just go faster?
Well, that's the $24,000 question.
The most important thing is
not to succumb to hopelessness.
Every bit we do to slow the warming of the planet
will translate into lives saved,
environments preserved,
and will buy us time.
We thought it was important at a time when
a lot of values are under assault or being questioned,
to try to select a few topics for this inaugural Democracy Forum
that hopefully will help inform
the day to day work that a lot of our leaders are doing.
The key for me has been
creating the opportunities for people to get to know each other.
It's human relationships
that so often get people into hate movements,
and it's human relationships
that I know can get people out.
Misinformation and disinformation,
this didn't start with the Internet.
This is a pattern and a playbook that predates that.
Covering truth is not partisan.
I'm asking that we be more self-critical.
If you want to have a multiracial democracy,
people need to feel that their work has dignity
and they have opportunity economically.
This should be the path forward:
Making people feel that whatever we’re having now
is the responsibility of everyone.
I think one of the most incredible opportunities to events like this
is the people that you talk to,
and I think that's where ideas really grow.
It was really touching to hear
everything you had to say.
You know, on the surface we’re
very, very different,
but at the end of the day,
we want to help people.
I think it's really great to have that
support system with
people you just met
because we're having this
shared experience.
The good news is we're just scratching the surface of
what this next generation is capable of.
In fact, today I'm happy to announce that we will be launching
a new and expanded Leaders USA program in the coming months
that can help more young people put their idealism to work.
We've been helping to train and connect
a whole bunch of leaders here in the U.S.,
both through our Scholars Program
and My Brother's Keeper initiatives.
What we haven't done as systematically is
get people a way in which they can come together
and support their various initiatives across sectors.
And given how successful
the programs we've initiated in other places have been,
we thought, let's make sure that we're giving as many opportunities
as possible to young leaders here in the U.S. as well,
who are eager to bring about change.
So we're really excited about Leaders USA.
The Leaders program is a life changing opportunity.
I've been able to connect with people from all around the world.
If you're looking for an opportunity to expand your horizon,
it's important that you participate in this leadership journey.
None of this will be easy.
Renewing our democratic culture will take decades and not years.
And that is why the ideas and insights
of a new generation of leaders
will be the ones that carry democracy's torch into the future.