Who we are and what we do
Our pillars of change
Message from President Obama
For a lot of people, the very idea of democracy can feel like an academic exercise – a set of creaky institutions and archaic laws disconnected from their everyday lives.
At the Obama Foundation, we believe democracy is about something more fundamental. It’s about the choices we make, the values we live by, and the ways we treat each other – including people who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do.
To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need leaders who understand that – who know who they are and what’s important, but who are also willing to listen and able to tap into what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature.”
In this report, you’ll meet some of them, and learn about how they’re channeling the promise and potential of the next generation to bring change home to their communities.
You’ll meet leaders like 2022-23 Columbia University Scholar Teresa Buczkowska, a migrant woman living in Ireland who is working to reduce inequality and help more migrants play a meaningful role in the programs and policy decisions that affect their lives.
You’ll meet Beli Acharya, a 2023 United States Leader who is working to create a more just and sustainable economy by growing and strengthening the labor movement.
And you’ll learn about leaders like Maka Tokhishvili, a 2023 Europe Leader who led Georgia’s largest youth movements across higher-education institutions – getting thousands of young people involved in creating a new strategy for education funding.
Teresa, Beli, and Maka don’t back down from a fight. But they also understand that the best way to make change happen isn’t to scold or shame the other side. It’s to get to know each other, to assume good intent, and to find ways to move forward together.
That’s why the Foundation has spent the last year training hundreds of leaders across the United States and around the world, and bringing people together to share ideas, work through challenges, and expand their horizons. We’ve also brought leaders together to tackle difficult issues – engaging with different perspectives and experiences, and working to find common ground.
When it opens its doors, the Obama Presidential Center will create a new space for listening, learning, and positive change. And as you’ll read in these pages, it’s only possible thanks to the supporters, community members, leaders, practitioners, and volunteers who have been with us every step of the way.
No nation, no society, has ever tried to build a democracy as big and diverse as ours before – one where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood, but by a common creed. Maintaining that experiment in self-government has never been easy. But by supporting the young leaders who are showing us the way, we can build a world where we look out for each other and solve the greatest challenges of our time together.
Thank you for being part of this work with us.
Barack Obama
Message from Valerie Jarrett
Every day at the Obama Foundation, we see ordinary people doing extraordinary things—young leaders who are working to create tangible solutions for some of the biggest issues of our time.
Against what can sometimes feel like the longest of odds, they are finding ways to bring change home to their neighborhoods, schools, and communities. But we know that they cannot do it alone. At the Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect these young leaders to the tools and resources they need to create positive change.
As we celebrate the vital work happening at the heart of the Foundation, we want to express our gratitude to you. With your unwavering belief in the next generation of changemakers, you are empowering young people here in America and around the world to start building a culture of democracy that can stand the test of time, and helping young people around the world roll up their sleeves and make a difference.
And thanks to your support, all of this extraordinary work will soon have a new home as the Obama Presidential Center takes form on the South Side of Chicago. With your help, we can keep turning hope into action and bring about a brighter future for all of us.