PLANTATION, Fla. - DHL and WE are continuing their efforts to empower young leaders in the United States through the second annual DHL Youth Fellowship Award. The program, launched last school year, recognizes exceptional young people in the United States who are moving the needle on social change. It encourages them to realize their potential, pursue their dreams and continue to lead their local and global communities through service and action.
  • DHL Youth Volunteer Fellowship Award celebrates the achievements of young leaders through community service
  • Applications are open to youths aged 13-18 from six U.S. states
  • Eligible candidates can apply now at we.org/dhl
The award is now open for applications on we.org/dhl. Youths aged 13-18 from California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York State, Texas and Washington State are eligible to apply. WE is a family of organizations that makes doing good, doable. DHL, the world’s leading international express services provider, promotes employee engagement through a number of initiatives including Global Volunteer Day, which encourages community outreach and involvement. Through the fellowship program, DHL and WE recognize the difference young people are making in their communities and around the world through their own projects to take concrete and measurable actions. Applicants for the fellowship are asked to demonstrate how they have made a positive impact in their local and global communities, outlining the specific action plans taken to address their cause of choice and detailing the positive impact their efforts have made. Most important, applicants are asked to describe how winning the award will help them continue to act as a leader and change-maker. More information about the award, along with the application form, are available at we.org/dhl. “It’s heartwarming to see the passion in young people who are fired up and ready to help improve lives in their communities,” said Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express U.S. “This is the DHL corporate culture of social responsibility coming to life. We are so pleased to continue working with WE as we connect our own people as well as our youth to experiences that will help them make real, impactful change locally and globally.” Hewitt and Marc Kielburger, co-founder of WE, will lead the judging panel of influential thought and community leaders who will select the six winners, one from each eligible state. They will announce the winners in June 2018. The award prize includes:
  • A ME to WE Youth Trip to Ecuador, where winners will further develop their leadership skills and work side-by-side with people in the community on development projects
  • A leadership session with senior executives from DHL and WE to learn firsthand from the organizations’ accomplished business and social leaders
  • Mentorship from a WE leadership member who will provide one-on-one support to ensure recipients have the support necessary to see their action plans through
  • An invitation to receive their award in front of thousands of their peers on a WE Day stage in their home state
“We are proud to partner with DHL for a second year, bringing this fellowship program to even more young people in America,” said Marc Kielburger, co-founder of WE. “It’s clear that young people across the United States are committed to creating life-changing impacts at home and abroad – last school year alone, students in the U.S. volunteered over 2.6 million hours for local and global causes and raised over $3.8 million for charitable organizations. In its second year, the fellowship program with DHL will continue to recognize the next generation of change-makers, providing them with the tools they need to strengthen their leadership skills and bring their passions to life.” In the program’s first year, five American youth received fellowship awards. During the summer of 2017, they traveled to Ecuador, where they experienced firsthand the immediate impact DHL and WE have on the WE Villages in this area. The video footage to follow captures their adventure and provides this year’s applicants with an idea of what they could experience should they be awarded the fellowship: Visit WE.org/dhl to watch video footage from year one winner’s ME to WE Youth Trip to Ecuador. A leader in supporting social change around the world, DHL partners with WE year-round to help make an impact in local and global communities. DHL Express U.S. is the Official Logistics Partner of WE Day, helping bring the WE Day stage to life in each city on the WE Day U.S. tour. More than 350 DHL employees have volunteered at WE Day events. DHL employees are also getting involved with their offices and families through the WE Ambassadors program providing easy ways for employees to live WE! Since 2012, DHL has shipped to U.S. and Canadian retail markets more than 3.9 million pieces of jewelry handmade by female artisans in Kenya and Ecuador, helping these women earn an income to send their children to school.