“Be prepared for your life to change. One of the things I've experienced prior to ever becoming part of this Pod was an inability to not see injustice. Anytime I looked at a scenario, it was almost a reflex for me to spot the holes and gaps, questioning how it could have been done better. After these four amazing months in VAPLP, be prepared for your life to shift in a way that forces you to engage differently with the world. My eyes are opened, the veil removed. I naturally find myself inquiring deeper into things I encounter, with a new hunger for understanding. If you are here to be a changemaker, as most of us are, be prepared."

"Honestly, the voices of my cohort members and leaders are in my head every time I make a decision. I reflect often on the many discussions we had which challenged me to think deeper and broader; to examine whether I was being fully inclusive. I love seeing my VAPLP family represented in elected office, as leaders in nonprofits, and on boards and commissions."

“Within these life-changing last four months, I've gained so much knowledge around who I am, and especially in how to be able to influence and organize others. If [VAPLP] is something you're looking to do, listen. It is life changing. Because we are all doing various work across the state of Virginia, not only are you learning about others, but you are learning about yourself with them. So then as a leader, you get to grow and develop and introspect, because every month we’re given an opportunity to engage with others, to learn about new principles and concepts, to be invited into a whole other world that the average person wouldn’t be aware of. At the beginning, I didn’t know I was an organizer, but now, at the end, I know I can stand up and say that is who I am and what I’m supposed to be doing, and that’s the leadership I want.”

“The VAPLP program far exceeded my expectations. Even though I was already in a leadership position as the president of the Fairfax NAACP, I never really gave much real thought to broadening my horizons beyond that role. After all, I only had a few years of advocacy under my belt at the time, and knew very little beyond what was going on beyond the county borders. So I was honestly still a little unsure of myself. But the VAPLP gave me a ton of confidence, and it wasn’t just about the knowledge gained, but because I knew that I was surrounded by a network of passionate supporters who would have my back. I left the program a changed person that knew that the sky was the limit.”

“After this summer, I am a lot more willing to be radical in imagining a better future for us, our families, and our friends. A lot of that comes from interacting with so many amazing individuals from so many different parts of the states doing work that I hadn't even considered. So overall, much more inspired and re-energized, and ready to get back to work.”

“VAPLP is a really wonderful opportunity to meet other organizers, advocates, and activists from across the Commonwealth, confer with each other on what work you're doing, and learn a really incredible and tremendous amount about the work of organizing and how we can move forward collectively as this movement.”

“I really appreciate the structure of VAPLP with the once a month coming and having that immersive experience for the three days. I think that really changes the way you think about things and each time I leave I go home with a lot to chew on and opportunities to really implement some of the things I've learned here but also I like the space that you all have created for us to again be our authentic selves, be vulnerable, and to be teachable.”

“VAPLP is a space for recognized leaders across Virginia who share a vision for liberation to come together. I appreciate [VAPLP’s} definition of leadership, as it is not strict. It’s a place where people who have that shared vision of liberation come together for an extended period of training, for an extended period of inquiry and dreaming. It really feels like the work you're doing is the work of liberation. What we’re doing here is asking “What is possible?”. We’re getting people together who have a shared vision for liberation, and we’re dreaming about building a better world.”

Kimberly Adams, Hala Ayala, Jervone Bowens, Richard Cabellos, Jeffrey Charity, Margie Del Castillo, Steve Descano, Morgan Jameson, Patti Nelson, Cydny Neville, Natalie Nguyen, Geneva Perry, Kimberly Smith, Yasmine Taeb, Fatima Yousofi

LaTonya “Abys” Denson, Joseph Fahimi, Jewel Jordan, Evan Macbeth, Carla Okouchi, Tracey Scott, Harrison Wallace, Claire Wyatt, Luis Aguilar, Canek Aguirre, Nia Bentall, Courtney Campbell, Karen Campblin, Lindsey Dawson

Kofi Annan, Jamshid Bakhtiari, Freddie Berry, Kenny Boddye, Shana Boston, Alexandria Bratton, Maya Castillo, Nicole Grim, Dana Lloyd, Charlie McConnell, Emily Patton, Yugonda Sample-Jones, Irene Shin, Shanice Simmons, Rodrigo Soto, Becky Wang, Malka Zeefe

Cameron Bell, Jessica Brown, Sarah Flores Shannon, Andrew Frazier, Christian Kearney, Jennifer Lawhorne, Kara Mailman, Felicia Miller, Maria Ortiz Pineda, David Pala, Sean Perryman, LaTonsha “LT” Pridgen, Michelle Wooten-McFarland, Lisa Zargarpur

Evelyn BruMar, Reuben Chavez, Nikki Duncan-Talley, Kortenay Gardiner, Monique Gatling, Kenneth Gilliam, Shyamali Hauth, Amy Hjerstedt, Monica Hutchinson, Monte Johnson, Jeffrey Jones, Yanet Limon-Amado, Shonta Mills, Katherine Olivera, Odette Ovies, Denver Supinger, Haydi Torres, Taneasha White

Carlota Arias, Tiziana Bottino, Keisy Chavez, Nicole Corley, Jewel Farley, Paola Henriquez, Jwan Moore, Joshua Nam, Carrie Pruett, Valarie Slater, Brooke Taylor, Eriberto (Eddie) Velazquez, Sheba Williams

Ty Begley, Cameron Bertrand, Chlo’e Edwards, Dionna Gibson, Wyatt Gordon, Ebony Guy, Justina Hall, Maha Hilal, Dominique Martin, Sabrina Mattin, Christine Melendez, Kendra Norrell, Theresa Quitto-Dickerson, Oveta Scott, Wind Viento, Latoya Wilson, Katie Zhang

Avohom Carpenter, Berole t Bekele, Briana Jones, Idris O’Connor, Jack Kiraly, Jolicia Ward, Kristin Lennox, Luis Martinez, Nick Gothard, Niki Zimmerman, Puja Khanna, Sarah Ahn, Shirtiera Lynch

Alex Gwynn, Antonia Peña, Camila Alfonzo Meza, Celeste Chalkley, Cheyenne Nicholas, Emily Moore, Hyacinth Bellerose, Kajsa Foskey, Kelly Evans, Kirndeep Singh, Luis Obregon, MeShawn Macklin, Shemika Curvey, Sophia Booker, Triston Chase O’Savio

Aaryan Rawal, Alta Kubinyi, Amirah Ahmed, Ashley Elstad, Kashish Pillai, Khenia Haro-Perez, Lief Hurt, Loni Wright, Megan Wu, Mychael Willon, Rashi Branche, Tia Banks, Vic Bermudez, Will Harden

Arlin Tellez Martinez, Beatriz Batres, Dan Ideozu, Eli Weinger, Mateo Gasparotto, Nicole Adams, Omar Nassimi, Ramiel Martinez, Solomon Ayalew, Sonya Phillips, Spogmai Anwar, Valerie Washington, Veronica Reid