In Ancient Greece, the agora was an open space used for both markets and public assemblies. It was a vibrating center for society, where people purchased goods and discussed the important topics of the day. Indeed, the twin function of the agora explain the roots of two verbs in modern Greek: ἀγοράζω, agorázō, meaning "I shop," and ἀγορεύω, agoreúō, meaning "I speak in public."At Young Voices, we seek to invest in great communicators that similarly stand at the intersection of commerce and discourse, advocating for free markets as a means of achieving prosperity and fulfillment. Such a message is desperately needed in developing countries, where decades of failed policies from both internal and external actors have only perpetuated poverty.With the Agora Fellowship, five writers under 30 from around the world will be paired with a professional mentor in the liberty movement and receive comprehensive training from Young Voices on op-ed writing, broadcast interviews, social media, podcasting, and much more. Each training will be followed with an assignment for fellows to flex their advocacy skills in actions.Meet the FellowsOluwasegun Ajetunmobi is a Master's student of Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is a Local Coordinator at African Student for Liberty. Oluwasegun is passionate about public policy, human rights protection, gender, migration and border discourses.Mauricio Bento is a graduate of the University of Brasilia currently pursuing a Master's degree in Economics. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Mauricio has experience with public policy and economics in Brasilia and Washington, DC. He helped to found SFL Brazil and Novo, the country's first classical liberal party.Olanrewaju Elufisan is a writer, filmmaker, trained broadcast journalist, and the co-founder of Ominira TV. He graduated from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta where he studied Plant Science and volunteered for Students for Liberty. Olanrewaju is committed to inspiring change in Africa and in Nigeria by influencing public policies through research and advocacy.Deborah Bizarria is a Brazilian economics student and Mentorship Associate at Students For Liberty. She also leads Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) chapter in Pernambuco and maintains a blog where she regularly writes, Marginal Futility. She is passionate about politics, society, gender issues, and behavioral economics.Abdulsamod Balogun is an African Liberty Writing Fellow, National Coordinator at Student for Liberty Gambia, and Communications Officer at Social Good Lagos. He is excited about discussions in leadership and economic freedom.Tentative Fellowship Syllabus & Schedule
