Chicago: Former US President Barack Obama has used his first public appearance since leaving office to dole out advice to young people on leadership, managing social media and even marriage. What he didn't do was mention his successor.
At a forum on Monday for students at the University of Chicago, adjacent to where his presidential library will stand, Obama talked about his formative experiences as a community organiser and as a young politician running for office in Illinois. But for much of the panel event, he listened.
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'Always optimistic' Obama returns to the public life
At his first public event since leaving the White House, former US President Barack Obama says his next job will focus on helping the next generation "take up the baton" to become active citizens and leaders.
"Although there are all kinds of issues that I care about and all kinds of issues that I intend to work on, the single most important thing I can do is to help in any way I can to prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and take their own crack at changing the world," Obama said during event, which was invite-only and streamed live online.
He told the hundreds of area students in the audience that his focus after holding the nation's highest office will be civic engagement with young people, and he hopes his presidential library, which will stand near the edge of campus, will be part of that mission.
Since delivering his farewell address in his hometown of Chicago in January, Obama has kept a low profile. He met privately on Sunday with a group of at-risk young men, talking about gang violence and opportunities for jobs.
His first public engagement came as President Donald Trump neared his 100-day mark in office. But Obama shied away from addressing specific policies or his own two terms as president.
When a college student panelist asked how to conduct a project involving interviewing day labourers, Obama told him to ditch the clipboard. When others asked about being young in the age of social media, Obama advised them to limit photos posted online, including being "more circumspect about your selfies".
He also dropped in a marital tidbit, saying it's best to "listen to understand" instead of listening "to respond".
"I learned that in marriage," he said to laughs from the audience. "That'll save you a lot of heartache and grief."
Obama said that he still cared about problems like economic inequality, climate change, justice issues and the spread of violence. But he said that it was a lack of leadership that prevented the country from making more progress on confronting those problems.
Obama has spent the three months since Inauguration Day on an extended vacation even as his staff begins setting up an office in Washington and planning continues on the library in Chicago. He is also starting to work on a memoir.
But on Monday, the former president began what will be a series of public appearances in the United States and Europe.
In his final speech as president in January, Obama also travelled to Chicago and talked about the effect the city had on him as a young man.
"It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss," Obama said on January 10. "This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it."
Obama's conversation on Monday echoed many of the same themes he talked about in that farewell address, including a plea that people not take democracy for granted.
"If you're tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life," Obama said in the January speech. "If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organising. If you're disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures and run for office yourself.
"Show up, dive in, stay at it. Sometimes you'll win. Sometimes you'll lose," he said, alluding to Trump only once. "More often than not, your faith in America - and in Americans - will be confirmed."
AP, New York Times
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