# Leaders of Today or Leaders of Tomorrow? | Ranti Ogunleye | TEDxElmPark

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BGqa8HyBZA
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/_BGqa8HyBZA
Generated: 2025-11-14T18:13:25.057+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The speaker argues that true leadership and community safety are built by investing in young people through mentorship, experiential learning, and civic participation, rather than relying solely on reactive measures like policing or government intervention, citing personal experience and data showing that youth who receive mentorship and opportunities are more likely to become leaders and reduce community violence.

**Key Points:**
- The speaker works with 30 neighborhoods to co-create public safety visions based on resident input, emphasizing that safety means a clean environment and economic stability, not just police presence.
- He states that 83% of young adults globally believe their governments have failed them, and 35% of young men do not see themselves as leaders.
- Experiences like his own trip to Vienna, Austria, for the UN World Youth Forum in 1996, and working with Bosnian refugees, shaped his understanding of necessary leadership development.
- The speaker believes that investing $1 in youth leadership yields $13 back in community benefits.
- He emphasizes that youth who identify as leaders (even if statistically fewer) are prepared to lead and solve problems, contrasting this with those who only read about leadership.
- A key takeaway is that the future belongs to those who take action now, rather than waiting for external solutions.
- The speaker advocates for giving young people experiential learning opportunities to cultivate leadership skills, rather than just telling them what to do.

![Screenshot at 00:15: The speaker begins his talk by defining his role in organizing residents around public safety issues, setting the stage for his argument that true safety is holistic, encompassing environment and opportunity.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-00-15.png)

**Context:** Ranti Ogunleye, Director of the Mayor's Action Plan of Neighborhood Safety, delivers a TEDx talk focusing on proactive community safety and youth development. He contrasts the historical reliance on reactive measures (like policing vacant lots or prisons) with a community-centric approach that actively cultivates leadership skills in young people through mentorship and hands-on experience, drawing from his own background as a Nigerian immigrant and his work with diverse communities.

## Detailed Analysis

Ranti Ogunleye asserts that effective public safety and community well-being stem from co-creating visions with residents, moving beyond simple policing to focus on environmental quality and economic stability in neighborhoods. He highlights a concerning trend where 83% of young adults globally feel failed by their governments, and 35% of young men do not identify as leaders. Ogunleye shares personal anecdotes, including his early exposure to international diplomacy at the UN World Youth Forum in Vienna in 1996 while working with Bosnian refugees, which profoundly influenced his approach. He argues that investing in youth leadership yields a $13 return for every $1 invested, underscoring the value of proactive development over reactive measures. His philosophy centers on giving young people experiential opportunities—like those he facilitated with Bosnian and Serbian groups—to build confidence and leadership skills, rather than simply providing theoretical knowledge. He concludes with a call to action: the future leaders are sitting in front of the audience now, and it is the responsibility of the current generation to actively mentor and invest in them immediately, as the future is not something that is coming, but something that is now.

### The Speaker's Role & Vision of Safety

- Director of Mayor's Action Plan of Neighborhood Safety
- Works with 30 neighborhoods to co-create safety plans
- Safety is clean environment, economic stability, not just police/jails
- Cites 30 neighborhoods and 30 years of experience.

### The Leadership Gap Data

- 83% of young adults globally feel failed by governments
- 35% of young men do not identify as leaders
- Mentorship is crucial to close this gap.

### Personal Journey & International Experience

- Trip to Vienna, Austria, for UN World Youth Forum in 1996
- Worked with Bosnian refugees and Serbian refugees post-war
- These experiences informed his advocacy.

### The Impact of Investment

- Every $1 invested in youth leadership yields $13 back in community benefits
- Investing in youth leadership and civic participation builds future leaders.

### Call to Action for Mentors

- Mentorship must involve giving youth experiences, not just reading about leadership
- Mentors must be humble and actively teach/lead young people to cultivate confidence.

![Screenshot at 00:07: Speaker introduces his role directing the Mayor's Action Plan of Neighborhood Safety.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-00-07.png)
![Screenshot at 00:20: Speaker gestures widely while discussing the need to co-create public safety visions with residents.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-00-20.png)
![Screenshot at 00:44: Speaker emphasizes that public safety is about more than just policing or statistics; it involves the environment residents inhabit.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-00-44.png)
![Screenshot at 01:16: Speaker discusses the importance of using a 'Neighborhood Stat' centerpiece mechanism for community engagement.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-01-16.png)
![Screenshot at 02:55: Speaker summarizes his job as investing time in building core competencies in residents.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-02-55.png)
![Screenshot at 03:48: Speaker points out the high percentage of young people who do not see themselves as leaders.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-03-48.png)
![Screenshot at 04:46: Speaker raises both hands to illustrate the difference between two concepts he is contrasting.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-04-46.png)
![Screenshot at 05:55: Speaker emphasizes that he wants to do more for public safety by focusing on proactive measures rather than reactive ones.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-05-55.png)
![Screenshot at 07:22: Speaker presents statistics on young adults feeling failed by government and not identifying as leaders.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-07-22.png)
![Screenshot at 09:09: Speaker discusses his goal of providing 'eye-opening experiences' to young people instead of just didactic teaching.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/_BGqa8HyBZA/00-09-09.png)