Mirror Image Leadership Academy (MILA), a 3-year leadership academy aimed at helping young black males discover the leader within through it’s True Leader Model™ of self-image, purpose, faith, character, and work ethic, announced they successfully completed the organization’s first international exposure trip.
The MILA scholars traveled abroad for seven days, July 23-30, to Ghana, West Africa. At MILA, the progressive exposure of local, national, and international opportunities over the three-year leadership academy program is the centerpiece of the learning approach. The organization is committed to exposing young men to the world and helping them discover their rightful place in it. MILA invites young men to expand their minds by exposing them to different people, places, and ideas. Their mission is to “develop true leaders through innovative and experiential learning while expanding possibilities through exposure.”
The trip’s itinerary included a Family Day, where scholars participated in a traditional naming ceremony and received what would have been their native Ga names. They also visited the Last Slave Bath and the Cape Coast Castle to learn about their ancestors and experience first-hand the remnants of the slave trade. The scholars spent time with students from Accra Academy and had the opportunity to bond with peer Ghanian students.
“The highlight of the trip was the scholar’s enrichment, education, and exposure. One scholar said he now understands that, “Being enslaved, doesn’t just mean physically but mentally enslaved too,” said James H. Miller, Executive Director, Mirror Image Leadership Academy.
To Date, 100% of MILA funding has come from private donors. “This incredible experience for our scholars was only made possible by the generous donations of our supporters”, says Greg Bradley, MILA’s Founder.
About Mirror Image Leadership Academy (MILA): is a non-profit based in Gainesville, FL. Growing from 12 scholars since its inception in 2021 to 51 scholars in 2023, MILA accepts raising 7th grade boys and helps them discover the leader that God created them to be through a three-year journey of leadership curriculum, self-discovery, and progressive exposure.