President Barack Obama greets University of Maryland Student Body President Kaiyi Xie before a town hall meeting at the university in College Park, Md., July 22, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Watch the President meet with the Student Body President of UMD here.

This morning President Obama held a town hall at the University of Maryland. Before taking the stage, he briefly met with Kaiyi Xie, the Student Body President of UMD, and one of 120 college and university student body presidents who signed a joint letter to President Obama, Speaker Boehner, Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, and Leader Pelosi, regarding the debt ceiling. Read the letter below:

Student Body Presidents Debt Ceiling Letter

Here are some excerpts from the town hall, in the President’s own words:

Now, here’s the thing, though -- and this is what the argument is about -- we can’t just close our deficit with spending cuts alone, because if we take that route it means that seniors would have to pay a lot more for Medicare, or students would have to pay a lot more for student loans. So if we only did it with cuts, if we did not get any revenue to help close this gap between how much money is coming in and how much money is going out, then a lot of ordinary people would be hurt and the country as a whole would be hurt.  And that doesn’t make any sense.  It’s not fair. 

 And it’s why I’ve said if we’re going to reduce our deficit, then the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations should do their part as well.  Before we stop funding clean energy research, let’s ask oil companies and corporate jet owners to give up the tax breaks that other companies don’t get.  I mean, these are special tax breaks.  Before we ask college students to pay more for their education, let’s ask hedge fund managers to stop paying taxes that are lower on their rates than their secretaries.

 

Today you are invited to join 150 dynamic young business owners from Our Time’s “Buy Young” Initiative, along with Obama Administration officials from the White House Office of Public Engagement, the Small Business Administration, the White House Business Council and the White House Office of the Chief of Staff for an interactive session on access to capital, mentorship and barriers to entrepreneurship for young entrepreneurs. Startup America will be interviewing participants who’d like to share their stories of innovation and entrepreneurship with other young people. Among the attendees are the founders of established businesses including Wordpress, Gilt Group, Invite Media, and Living Social,  as well as promising new startups such as Tutorspree, Refinery29 and Genjuice, plus representatives from leading venture capital firms.

Watch today's event live starting at 4:30pm EDT on WhiteHouse.gov/Live or on Facebook. You can also connect with businesses and young entrepreneurs through Twitter, using the hashtag #startupamerica and follow @StartupAmerica for live updates. Check out the Buy Young list on Twitter to follow the businesses and young entrepreneurs that are attending the briefing here.

Kickoff Conference Call with President Obama and Administration Officials
Obama Administration Officials conference call de-briefing the President’s commitment to youth issues and initiatives. President Obama will also hop-on the call at 12 noon on Friday, July 1, 2011. Please note that capacity has been reached by those who RSVP’d, but we will provide a read-out after this call.

Civic Engagement: Youth Incarceration, Environment, and LGBT Issues
Not something we see in the mainstream media, but check out President Obama hearing real-life examples from young Americans on how specific policies he supported such as second chance programs, social work, health and human services, the environment, energy independence, national security, Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, and LGBT issues have made an impact in the lives of young Americans.

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Join us for the opening session: “How to Make Change: Civic Engagement” at 4:30 p.m. EDT, July 5, 2011 on Whitehouse.gov/Live.

Tackling Poverty
Poverty is a global challenge that the President is committed to tackling both here and abroad. Lots of movement has been made in this arena, but much more is left to be done. What have young Americans done substantively to stop the cycle of poverty in our communities? Xavier Jennings shares some insight here:

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Join us for “How to Make Change: Poverty and International Aid”, an interactive chat with U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Raj Shah at 1:30 p.m. EDT on July 7, 2011, on Whitehouse.gov/Live. submit your questions in advance by clicking here.

E-Book Launch
As we promised during the “Your Future, Your Solutions: 100 Youth Strategies for Winning the Future” Roundtables Initiative, we will be launching an E-book with results and outcomes from the roundtables you held and ways to connect with each other around the country. Join us for “How to Make Change: E-Book Launch” in July - date and time is forthcoming.

College Affordability, Student Financial Aid, and Pell Grants
President Obama and Young Americans have achieved incredible successes on issues related to college affordability. From raising the Pell Grant to $5500 and increasing the American Opportunity Tax Credit to $2500 (and fighting hard to keep both), investments in education for our generation are a priority. Listen to what young advocates, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, and President Obama himself had to say about college affordability, financial aid, and Pell:

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Join us for the “How to Make Change: Pell Grants and Financial Aid” webchat in August 2011.

Educational Awards, Low Income Housing, and Grants
What have young folks been doing to alleviate a shortage in affordable housing? How about building 13 homes in 5 years. Not too shabby. Youth Advocate Layla Wright joins us to discuss her Youth Build project in Tennessee, helping communities in Appalachia.

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We will have at least three more events in August, including “How to Make Change: Affordable Housing and Impact on Young Americans,” “How to Make Change: Energy and Environment,” and “Closing Session: How We Did It: Success Stories and Scalable Models of Success” More events and opportunities to connect will be added throughout the summer!

This series will specifically foster a conversation between young Americans, advocates, and the White House on the issues that matter to us all. What are specific deliverables you would like to see? What tools can we offer you so that you can achieve what you set out to achieve? Let us know! The full schedule for “How to Make Change” will be announced next week, so stay tuned.

Kalpen Modi is Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

President Barack Obama drops by a meeting with young leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, June 6, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Yesterday afternoon, I had the privilege of leading a meeting with 10 incredible young Americans who had participated in the “100 Youth Roundtables” Initiative and came to Washington, DC for a de-brief with President Obama, his Senior Staff, and DC-based youth advocates.

The young leaders were joined by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Nancy-Ann DeParle (Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy), Zakiya Smith (Senior Policy Advisor for Education), Macon Phillips (Director of Digital Strategy), and myself in the Roosevelt Room of the White House for a listening session on the topics that young leaders discussed in their respective roundtable sessions all over the country. The leaders briefed the White House on their conversations and solutions around jobs for young people, youth entrepreneurship, workforce development, energy & the environment, global poverty, racial & ethnic profiling, human rights, and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) policy.

Halfway through the meeting, President Obama dropped by (with Bo in tow), and after meeting everyone, took a seat and talked about a range of topics: from the economic situation to climate change, education, incarcerated youth, Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, the Social Work and Reinvestment Act, and civic engagement.

Participants of yesterday’s de-brief were chosen from the feedback sheets we received (from folks who organized roundtables in their communities), and reflected the trends that were discussed nationwide (the data from all roundtables will be launched with the E-book in a couple of weeks).

We listened and de-briefed on the roundtables & issues that young Americans raised as the most important, and learned how they are dealing with and successfully tackling specific challenges in their communities. Some pretty cool video from the meeting, as well as an announcement that the President made to the leaders in the room are coming your way soon, so check back on our blog and sign up for the newsletter to stay connected!

The full list of participants are:

• Fatima Al- Zeheri, Arab & Muslim American Youth Roundtable (AZ)
• Sujatha Jahagirdar, Political Director, Student Public Interest Research Groups (DC)
• Xavier Jennings, Youth Build Denver (CO)
• Ian Johnson, Research Fellow, St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development at the University of Wisconsin River Falls (WI)
• Esther Lee, Co-Chair, Minnesota Alliance With Youth Board of Directors (MN)
• Tobin van Ostern, Network Associate, Campus Progress (DC)
• Ryan O’Toole, Fordham University Student Body President (NY)
• Javier Pinedo, Gay Straight Alliance Youth Council of Northern California (CA)
• Aaron Smith, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Young Invincibles (DC)
• Sarah Tarrant, Masters Student, Ohio State University (OH)
• Sam Vaghar, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Millenium Campus Network (MA)   
• Layla Wright, Youth Build Kingsport AmeriCorps Case Manager (TN)
• Shengxiao Yu, Chicago District Director, Millenium Campus Network (IL)

White House participants:

• Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President
• Nancy-Ann DeParle, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
• Macon Phillips, Director of Digital Strategy
• Zakiya Smith, Senior Policy Advisor for Education
• Kalpen Modi, Associate Director of Public Engagement and Youth Liaison
• Bo, The First Dog

 Kalpen Modi is Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement

Our first de-brief comes from the Village of Hope Academies at Vista Maria in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Their roundtable consisted of a televised component through their local cable affiliates, and the young leaders created an online video with clips of what they discussed. Topics included affordable and reliable public transportation for youth in the Detroit metropolitan area, afterschool activities in neighborhoods, and the strong positive impact that adult mentors and others had made in their lives.

But don’t take our word for it, check out what these impressive young people had to say for themselves. Watch the video here or play it below.

Kalpen Modi is Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement

Submit your questions for Secretary Salazar now in a comment on Facebook. And be sure to watch live tomorrow morning at whitehouse.gov/live or join the conversation on Facebook.

Erick is currently a senior at Michigan State University and his dream is to attend medical school at his grandfather’s alma mater in Missouri. Erick was always interested in medicine, but he was inspired after speaking to the doctors who treated his mother when she had quadruple bypass surgery.

After he graduates this spring, Erick will be taking a year to enhance his skills and prepare his application. Under the old insurance rules, he would have been forced off his parent’s health insurance plan. But now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Erick will be able to stay on his mother’s plan.

We interviewed Erick, and as he told his story, he received a surprise phone call from President Obama.  

Erick is just one example of the millions of Americans who are being helped by the new law. After just one year, Americans are enjoying:

New coverage options

• Children with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage in new health plans.
• Adults who have been locked out of the insurance marketplace because of a pre-existing condition can now buy coverage through a new Pre-Existing Condition Plan.

Better quality coverage

• People with insurance are free from worrying about losing their insurance due to a mistake on an application, or having it capped unexpectedly if someone is in an accident or becomes sick.
• All Americans in new insurance plans will receive preventive services without being charged a deductible, co-payment, or co-insurance.

Lower Costs

• Seniors have the freedom to get the care they need, including free preventive care, lower cost prescription drugs, and Medicare they can count on. Nearly 4 million Americans who hit the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” received $250 tax-free rebates, and will receive a 50% discount on brand name prescription drugs if they hit the donut hole this year.
• Up to 4 million small businesses could receive tax credits to make employees’ health coverage more affordable.
• Insurance companies can no longer overcharge consumers just to boost profits and CEO salaries. 

Visit www.HealthCare.gov to learn more about the new law and the work we’re doing to deliver the benefits of reform to the American people. For step-by-step instructions on the young adult coverage provision that helped Erick, you can also visit www.facebook.com/YoungAdultCoverage.

Note: you also can visit our 50 States, 50 Stories map to listen to more stories of people the law has helped.

Kalpen Modi is Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

The President talked about the importance of leadership, and his belief in how young people can and do change the world for the better. He took a couple of questions from students who asked about the President’s experiences thus far, his vision for the country over the next several decades, and what he enjoys most about his job.

Check out footage of the event:

This is exciting, folks. A few weeks ago, when President Obama dropped by a Roundtable with Young Americans in Cleveland, Ohio, he announced that he was tasking his Administration with participating in 100 Roundtables all over the country. And over the last 2 weeks we have put together a great initiative to assure that young Americans of all walks of life can participate in a roundtable if they so choose!

Presidents and White Houses of the past have encouraged citizens to debate and discuss issues of the day; it’s one of the great strengths of a free and democratic society. Encouraging citizens to take a more active role in the betterment of American society, President Kennedy said, “The efforts of the government alone will never be enough. In the end the people must choose and the people must help themselves." And speaking directly about young people, President Reagan remarked that, “Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.”

Young Americans today are the most innovative and creative generation we have ever seen. You have inherited incredible challenges and met them with inspiring solutions. You have used mediums, technologies, and ideas to connect to one another that we could have previously only dreamed about. Back in the day, if you wanted to talk to someone at the White House, you likely would have had to ride your horse up to the front door (there used to be stables here). Now all you have to do is fill out a web form.

Host a roundtable in your community and if you’d like someone from the Administration to join, let us know when and where your roundtable will be by submitting your information at obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/YoungAmericans.

If we can send someone to your roundtable, we’ll let you know about 24-48 hours in advance.

If we can’t – you can hold the roundtable and send us the feedback and sign-in sheets from the toolkit (at obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/YoungAmericans/follow-up) so that we follow up with you.

Our Youth Team here will read it, and we’ll be in touch with all of your participants in the coming weeks with White House conference calls, web chats, and other opportunities to talk with folks all across the Obama Administration on a number of important issues.

Join us!

Kalpen Modi is Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement

Join me on Wednesday, February 16th, at 11:30 am ET.

You can send in your questions to @whitehouse with the hashtag #hcr. Look out for responses beginning at 11:30 am Wednesday.

Kalpen Modi is Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Check out some of what the President said during his visit:

Leaders who participated in the White House roundtables included members of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, Penn State Graduate and Undergraduate Student Governments, Interfraterntiy Council, Panhellenic Association, nonprofits, Engineering Honor Society, College Republicans & College Democrats, Rainbow Roundtable, Environmental Society, and a number of other constituency and issue-related organizations and youth leaders.

President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu meet with the Youth Engagement Roundtable participants at Penn State University in State College, Pa., February 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In honor of President Hu's State Visit, President Obama presented the Chinese leader with a painting created by the Zhou Brothers. Based in President Obama’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois, DaHuang and Shan Zuo Zhou are distinguished Chinese American contemporary artists known for their unique collaborative work process. Their thinking, aesthetic and creativity are a symbiosis of Eastern and Western philosophy.

It’s an original multi-textural oil painting on canvas measuring 86 inches wide and 68 inches high – 8 and 6 are lucky numbers that coincide with China’s country code 86. From the Great Wall of China to the portraits of the eight U.S. Presidents since President Nixon’s historic trip to China in 1972, the painting is replete with imagery and motifs that represent 5,000 years of Chinese culture and the friendship that our two countries have shared and will continue on together into the future.

The Zhou Brothers were on hand Tuesday night for the gift exchange between the two Presidents. With White House and State Department staff huddled around, the Zhou brothers explained the significance of the painting, what the gift symbolizes, and their passion for and love of America.

The media narrative over the last 2 days has refused to focus on a key component of the President’s tax deal that affects young people – the $2500 American Opportunity Tax Credit for people pursuing a college education. Make no mistake – without the President’s tough negotiations on tax breaks for the wealthy, Republicans would have successfully gotten rid of one of President Obama’s key fulfilled promises to young people: a $2,500 credit for each year of college.

Political pundits and talk show hosts who have reported on the tax deal (which includes extending tax breaks for all Americans) have overlooked the President's fierce advocacy on this issue of college affordability and have even suggested that he has made a deal that ignores young people. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Perhaps the folks on tv have forgotten what it’s like to struggle to pay ever-rising tuition bills. Perhaps some members of Congress seem to have overlooked the struggle that millions of young Americans face to access college. But the President has not forgotten. He has not forgotten about what it was like taking out student loans and paying them off as a community organizer and public interest lawyer, he hasn’t forgotten about the need to invest in our country’s future, and he hasn’t forgotten about the promise he made to you - for tax relief as part of a larger comprehensive strategy to reduce the cost of college and increase access to higher education. And that’s why he fought so hard to extend a $2,500 credit that benefits over 8 million students – and can double or triple the tax incentives available for juniors and seniors in college.

The President agrees that it’s unfair that the wealthy will not pay their fair share of taxes for another two years. But what would have happened if the President had ignored you and allowed all of this political infighting & stalemating to continue? Simple. Everyone’s taxes would have gone up, college students would have had to pay as much as $1,700 more per year to go to school, and many of you, no doubt, would have been forced to drop out of school. Would that have been fair? No.

This was a brutally tough decision, but the President has your back. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

To learn more about the deal check out our fact sheet. 

And to sign up for the White House Youth distribution list, email youth@who.eop.gov

Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director of the Office of Public Engagement

On Friday, December 3^rd, the White House participated in the launch of “Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue”, a public/private cultural film exchange effort by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the Sundance Institute,  in New York. The project encompasses five contemporary independent American filmmakers and five international filmmakers that will tour throughout the United States and abroad as part of an effort to build bridges between countries, and is  operated in partnership with the major federal cultural agencies,  the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  State Department officials also participated in the launch.

The powerful stories represented by the  contemporary independent films and artists in Film Forward are ideal for bridging different cultures, not only in the diversity of artistic approaches, cultural traditions and political views of the films, but in meeting a very important need in engaging audiences here and abroad in one-on-one dialogue about shared perspectives on issues raised by the films. By  encouraging dialogue on universal themes  these films challenge stereotypes and open doors to other cultures, ideas and places.

The five American films that will tour throughout the United States and abroad as part of the program are: 

• A Small Act directed by Jennifer Arnold
• Amreeka directed by Cherien Dabis
• Freedom Riders directed by Stanley Nelson
• La Mission directed by Peter Bratt
• Winter’s Bone, directed by Debra Granik.

The five international films chosen to complete the line up of independent films are: Afghan Star directed by Havana Marking; Boy directed by Taika Waititi; Last Train Home directed by Luxin Fan; Son of Babylon by Mohamed Al-Daradji, and Udaan directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

“We could not be more excited about this program and these films,” said Rachel Goslins, Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “Each one of them powerfully represents universal themes and stories that will foster exactly the kind of cross-cultural understanding and dialogue that the President’s Committee and the program’s federal partners, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services believe are so important in today’s interconnected world.”

 This year’s films explore a range of universal themes, and the evolving nature of film in our global community.  Boy, La Mission, Udaan and Winter’s Bone navigate the transition to adulthood and re-define family in broadly different circumstances;Amreeka and Last Train Home depict contemporary challenges of immigration for those seeking work and a better life; Afghan Star explores the story of youthful dreams and the clash of global pop culture in a traditional Muslim society; Son of Babylon focuses on the enduring nature of family love in a society decimated by war. Finally, exploring the impact of individual and collective action are:  A Small Act which shows the impact of one individual’s choice to give, within a global context, and Freedom Riders depicts the real-life drama of a small group of courageous citizens who risked everything 50 years ago in the struggle for civil rights, and transformed American life.

Over the next year Film Forward will travel to twelve locations including  Nashville, TN; Jackson, MS; Washington, DC; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Saginaw Chippewa Reservation in Grand Rapids, MI; as well as Tunisia, China, Turkey and Kenya. All ten films will participate in a Spring Showcase on the National Mall in May.

While the Film Forward website is built, for more information on the program, you can check out: http://www.pcah.gov/film-forward

Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement

This afternoon, the White House reiterated the President's commitment to the DREAM Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by giving them the chance to obtain legal status by pursuing a higher education, or by serving in the U.S. armed forces for the country they've grown up in and love as their own.

Thanks to the participation of young people from all over the country, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Cecilia Munoz took great questions on whether the legislation would encourage people to come to the United States illegally (it would not) and whether the DREAM Act can be implemented by the President via Executive Order (it cannot, which is why he is strongly urging Congress to do the right thing by passing it).

Today's webchat is part of the President's ongoing commitment to engage with young people all over the country. If you'd like to be added to the White House youth engagement distribution list, send an email to youth@who.eop.gov

Miss the webchat live? Check it out in its entirety with full questions and answers here:

• Opening Remarks
• Does the U.S. Government think that students assisted by the DREAM Act could help the economy? Also, what are the negative aspects of the bill?
• Won’t this encourage more people to come to this country illegally?
• Do they have to live in the U.S. for a pre-determined time to be eligible?
• How does the access to the military fit into the DREAM Act?
• What do you mean by ‘stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents’?
• What are some of the major arguments against the DREAM Act and why do you think they are wrong?
• When is the DREAM Act going to get voted on in the House or Senate and what are the chances of it passing?
• What is the President and the Administration doing to gain bipartisan support for the DREAM Act?
• How does this fit into comprehensive immigration reform?
• At what point do we start enforcing our immigration laws to stop illegal immigrants from coming across the border?
• Why do we need 60 votes to pass this legislation?
• Is there a chance that the President Obama makes an executive order to pass this bill?
• What can citizens do to help?
• How will the Dream Act be funded?
• Can you address detention center reform?
• Can you clarify why this is not a ‘free ride’?

See more Official White House photographs on the Flickr photo stream and in the photo galleries on obamawhitehouse.archives.gov.

The White House Office of Public Engagement invites you to an interactive webchat on the DREAM Act with Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Munoz on Monday, November 29th, 2010 at 3 p.m. EST on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

The DREAM Act is designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents, by giving them the chance to either obtain legal status by pursuing a higher education, or by serving in the U.S. armed forces for the country they’ve grown up in and love as their own. The DREAM Act has long enjoyed the support of both Democrats and Republicans, and has passed twice out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support. The President has been a strong supporter of the DREAM Act, and was a co-sponsor when he was in the Senate.

Join us in learning more about how the Administration is doing whatever it takes to support Congressional leadership’s efforts to pass the bill and participate in the conversation and Q&A.

Here's how you can participate:

• Ask your questions in advance on Facebook
• Join the discussion live through the White House Facebook application
• Watch the chat through WhiteHouse.gov/live

This legislation means $40 billion more dollars in the Pell Grant program to ensure that eligible students receive an award, and that awards increase to keep pace with rising tuition. And a $2 billion investment over four years for community colleges to develop, improve, and provide education and career training programs. Students will  be able to choose to limit their student loan payments to 10% of their income, with any remaining balance forgiven after 20 years. And public service workers can have their loans forgiven after 10 years.

Because special interests have been benefiting from taxpayer subsidies for too long, we’re cutting out the middlemen by ending government subsidies currently given to banks and other financial institutions that make guaranteed federal student loans. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, ending these wasteful subsidies will free up nearly $68 billion for college affordability and deficit reduction over the next 11 years. So these investments are not only paid for, but they’ll reduce the deficit in the long run.

Because of the legislation enacted today, we’re finally undertaking meaningful reform to our education system and making college more affordable and accessible.

For more information on these federal student aid programs, please go to www.studentaid.ed.gov, or call 1-800-4FED-AID.

Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement

Here's the transcript:

Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the people of Asia, and all those around the world who are celebrating the Lunar New Year. 

As people of all cultures and faiths welcome the Year of the Tiger, let us all give thanks for family, the wisdom of our ancestors, and the company of our friends and neighbors.

Here in the United States, the Lunar New Year will be marked by festivals in Houston and lion dances in Los Angeles; parades in Chicago and celebrations large and small in communities across our nation. Americans of Asian descent will continue the rich traditions of the past and begin new ones with their own families. Together, they serve as a reminder of the richness and diversity that make our country great.

So to all those celebrating the Lunar New Year, may you be blessed with peace, prosperity and good health – now and in the year ahead.

Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement

Hear from the American and Kenyan youth here:

Take a look at some of the notes and artwork here:

Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement