CHICAGO (WLS) -- Five-hundred young people from across the United States make up the first cohort of Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness.

That includes four teams from communities here in Illinois: Skokie, Vernon Hills, Chicago and Iroquois County.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Each group is designing and leading a community project that addresses a local issue. The goal is to prove that young people can create change.

The Institute for Citizens and Scholars is leading this initiative, with funding from a more than $2 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation.

Audra Watson is the chief of Youth Civic Programs at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars.

"We want them to learn the skills of collaborative problem-solving, constructive dialogue, of n

See Full Page