A Face of Local Leadership

Contributed by Public Allies Miami

As a Miami  native growing up in a low-income neighborhood, Ricky Smith noticed that he and other kids in his neighborhood only had sports to fall back on. He joined Public Allies in 2011 with this in mind.

 

Prior to joining the 2011 Ally class, Ricky envisioned giving back to his community in profound ways. He wanted to serve as a volunteer service corp member and later start a nonprofit focused on empowering “at-risk” juvenile males. While placed with Miami-Dade County Schools as a Public Ally, he had the challenging job of helping children with vision impairments obtain glasses at little to no cost.

 

As an emerging leader, Ricky served nearly 3,000 kids during his year of service. He currently works for Miami-Dade County Parks and will be returning to school in the spring to continue in his community engagement and learning journey.

 

And as for the future, don't be surprised if you see Ricky Smith's name on a local ballot!  

 

 

What is Public Allies Miami?

Public Allies Miami is part of the national movement that believes everyone leads. At Public Allies Miami, we believe changing times call for a new kind of leadership. Since 2007, Public Allies Miami has developed more than 100 young leaders. Allies are young, diverse, and passionate social change makers who support community projects in partnership with hundreds of local nonprofits. Public Allies Miami helps to develop the leadership skills needed for our members to have successful and sustainable projects. We do this by placing developing leaders in local nonprofit organizations for 10-month apprenticeships. This year Public Allies Miami will graduate its sixth class. Currently, we have 22 Allies placed at 14 different partner organizations.