One program is on a mission to eliminate youth violence! Following in the footsteps of world-renowned activists and civic and global leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and others, the Power of Peace Project is committed to redirecting underserved youth, reducing the overall incidence of youth crime, rehabilitating young inmates, lowering academic dropout rates, and inspiring young people to discover and develop the untapped power and potential within all of us. 

The Power of Peace project

The Power of Peace movement, inspired by the Project, is spreading to schools and youth detention centers, and the Forty Days to Freedom series is bringing about significant changes in this generation of young people. Together, we are beginning to remove the shame and stigma that come to the families of the addicted and incarcerated, and we are showing that these young men and women can change and prepare to become productive citizens.

The Power of Peace Project (POPP) was founded in 2010 by the organization’s president, Kit Cummings, as he began to carry the message of peace, hope, and change into the most challenging places in America– the U.S. prison industrial complex. As Kit spoke to more and more inmates, momentum began to build in penitentiaries in different parts of the country. Behaviors began to change, and many of the men society had left behind and essentially given up on had rediscovered their power and potential. Some of the most challenging prisoners began to strive to become positive role models for their kids and younger brothers. With prison inmates desperately needing a purpose and young people needing positive role models, the unlikeliest group of individuals heeded the call to action and stepped up to make a change. Administrators, educators, wardens, and officers were all amazed at what happened. Peace began to take hold and spread.

On January 18th, 2011, twelve men at a dangerous maximum-security prison signed the “POPP Peace Pledge” to see if they could live peacefully with the men in Georgia’s toughest prison. Forty Days to Peace, which began on the 25th anniversary of MLK Day, would continue for the following forty days and beyond in that prison, and peace began to spread throughout the facility. This prison won Institution of the Year that year, going from worst to first.

As those men began to practice a lifestyle of non-violence, other men began to watch and become curious. Word spread throughout the compounds, and inmates began to talk about Forty Days to Peace. Instead of being labeled as “weak,” these men gained a new respect among the prison population. A peace movement had begun, one that these men had created in their commitment to non-violence toward each other, and the prison administration and staff began to take note. POPP was invited to more and more facilities.

Since that first peace pledge, POPP has gone to prisons and schools in the U.S., South Africa, Honduras, Mexico, Ukraine, and Guatemala. Since the first project in the first prison, Kit has taken the POPP message to over one hundred prisons, jails, detention centers, and rehab facilities.

The Power of Peace Project has expanded into a community development project, including a student development program, anti-bullying campaigns in alternative high schools, a media company, corporate motivational programs, empowerment activities, and organizational conflict resolution programming in wounded communities. The POPP peace movement took hold in Michigan and Ohio, where over two thousand inmates committed to peace and becoming positive role models, not only to inmates but also to a young generation that is losing its way. Some prisons saw violence decline by as much as 50 percent because of the ongoing project. Whether someone is a tough kid from an inner-city school or a college-prep kid living in the suburbs, it no longer matters—this is not a rich or poor, black, white, or Hispanic issue– because the need for peace is a common bond that we all share. Our kids are hurting and, in turn, hurting themselves and others. It is time for a new approach.

A Conversation with Kit Cummings

I had the opportunity to speak with Kit Cummings, the Founder of The Power of Peace Project. Kit is an award-winning author, teacher, and violence prevention specialist. When talking about the work of the Power of Peace Project, Kit stated:

What is your vision for the Power of Peace Project?

Between our work in schools, juvenile courts, juvenile detention facilities, and law enforcement, I want to impact one million kids in the next ten years.

How does The Power of Peace Project support youth in school?

Through our POPP Protect the Dream program, we teach kids how to design a dream, manifest it, and then protect their dream, at all costs, from the Seven Dream Killers: Hanging with the Haters, Irresponsible Social Media, Drug and Alcohol Abuse; Unhealthy Relationships; Objectifying Classmates, Disrespect of Authorities; and Lowering Scholastic Standards.

How does the Power of Peace Project provide support for incarcerated Youth?

We partner with the Department of Juvenile Justice and teach conflict resolution skills and violence prevention through our POPP Forty Days to Freedom program. They learn the Seven Power of Peace Principles: Seek first to understand your opponent; Find common ground with your rival; Walk a mile with your adversary before you judge them; Practice active listening; Practice compassionate communication; When wrong, admit it and make it right; and treat your enemy with dignity and respect, even if you disagree. And we implement a reward-over-punishment model.

What are the greatest needs of the students whom you serve?

The greatest need is mentoring. Kids need positive, older role models pouring into them more than the streets do. Lack of parenting, especially among adult males, has left a void that the streets and gangs are readily filling. Gangs are giving kids more time and support than the local churches are.

What can our education system do to help the youth you serve?

We need to include more mandatory curricula on mental health, addiction and recovery, and emotional well-being. Teachers should be better compensated so that we can hire and retain quality educators. According to one study I recently read, a student has physically assaulted one out of every eight teachers in our country. We can not keep good teachers, leading to a lower teacher-to-student ratio/coverage, and the problem worsens.

What else can the education system do to prevent violence in its early stages?

We need effective programming in our in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and juvenile probation programs. We need to interrupt and redirect them when they first start getting into trouble rather than trying to catch them when it is often too late.

According to the Power Of Peace Project, “Hope is the New Dope,” children are beginning to believe in themselves and their dreams. Join them as they bring peace from behind the wire to the streets!

The post The Power Of Peace Project: Healing Wounded Communities appeared first on Getting Smart.

According to the National Center for Homeless Education, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, and Hispanic students are overrepresented in homelessness compared with Asian and white students. Additional research has found that populations have a higher risk of homelessness compared with non-LGBT youth. Youth who have faced housing insecurity, severe family conflict, or abuse.

Homelessness and housing instability can contribute to poor health, especially for children and adolescents. Housing and school partnerships offer a promising approach to ending student homelessness. 

How Transitional Housing Builds Stable Futures

Transitional housing plays an essential role in providing safety and stability. Equipped with the following benefits, youths experiencing homelessness can break free from this cycle and discover their path.

1. Safe and Stable Housing

Transitional housing provides a vital safety net for homeless youth by ensuring stable and safe accommodations. This type of housing typically offers an independent living space within a supportive environment. This stability is foundational for addressing other areas of their lives, such as education, employment, and overall well-being. 

2. Supportive Services

Transitional housing programs are not just about providing a bed for the night. They offer comprehensive supportive services tailored to each youth’s unique needs. Social workers, counselors and mentors traditionally work closely with youth to set goals, create individualized plans, and connect them with the necessary resources for personal growth.

3. Skill Development

Transitional housing also goes beyond addressing immediate needs like food and shelter. These programs promote self-sufficiency and self-reliance via essential skills such as budgeting, cooking, communication and problem-solving. 

Life skills are vital for a safe and long-term transition to independence. The unique and supportive nature of transitional housing programs provides a structured environment where youth can practice and refine these skills under the guidance of caring professionals.

4. Education and Career Support

Education is often disrupted by youth experiencing homelessness. In America, about 87% of these young people will drop out of school before earning their high school degree – a critical asset for many employers. Transitional housing recognizes the importance of education in breaking the cycle of homelessness. 

These programs provide educational support, including tutoring, access to GED programs and help with college applications and scholarships. Additionally, these programs assist youth in exploring career options, building resumes, and preparing for job interviews, providing a path toward economic stability and self-sufficiency.

5. Emotional and Social Well-Being

The experience of homelessness can take a toll on a youth’s emotional and social well-being. Many youths in transitional housing have experienced trauma, abuse, or neglect. These programs offer a safe space for healing and personal growth. Through therapy, support groups and mentorship, youth can address their emotional needs, build resilience, and develop healthy coping mechanisms while connecting with peers who share similar experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and support.

I had the opportunity to meet and work with Jeff Armstrong, the Executive Director of Family Promise, an organization dedicated to helping homeless students get an education and sustainable housing for their families

What is the mission of Family Promise?

Our mission is to help families experiencing homelessness in their quest to achieve sustainable independence. I led the organization in the Midlands of South Carolina but the national Family Promise organization has 200 affiliates across the country.

How do the services Family Promise provide support youth in school? 

Our Tomorrow’s Promise program supports students who are part of families having housing stability issues with enrichment activities including athletics, music, and art.

Additionally, we hold community engagement events that include financial literacy, professional developments, and entertaining activities for the entire family.

I  had a vision in April 2020 to be able to provide experiences beyond what McKinney-Vento can do for a child in the school system experiencing housing instability. I called this program Tomorrow’s Promise. Whether it is purchasing a dress for prom or covering the costs of gymnastics classes, these positive childhood experiences provide memories that promote resiliency. 

What are the biggest misconceptions about families in transition housing? 

Homelessness comes with its own stigma. What the pandemic has helped us all realize is how close we could be to housing instability. Our transitional housing program goes far beyond providing a place to stay. There are other supportive services provided that allow for a family to build a savings (many of them for the first time). The families we serve also work to meet goals.

Our families are working hard towards goals that are set by them and our Case Manager. Some may come to us and not have experience living on their own. However, we also serve teachers, nurses, and people from other fields that most would not expect. 

What are the greatest needs of the students who you serve?

One word … stability. I always say that providing a safe space for children and parents to move from flight, fight or freeze to stability is the greatest gift. 

What can our education system do to help the youth you serve?

We lean on our educational system to be everything for our children. It is time for service providers to step up to provide positive experiences to help the child thrive. 

Why did you get involved with Family Promise and what future programs and services do you hope to develop to help the youth you serve be more successful in school?

The opportunity to lead an organization with the experiences I had in my childhood and adolescence proves that the children we serve can do anything. Having experienced homelessness and housing instability, among other challenges, as I was growing up helped me understand what the children in our program need. I will never forget my high school basketball coach and 4^th grade teacher who were both instrumental in providing the lessons and care that I needed to build resiliency on my own.

Tomorrow’s Promise Program developed from my childhood. I am looking for us to continue to bolster the types of experiences and events we have with our families. We partner with the faith community, businesses, and other service providers to accomplish this. 

Our youth today struggle to balance an immense amount of pressure from many angles. By alleviating the housing instability piece, we are promoting a foundation for the greatest success in the future. 

Jeff and the team at Family Promise in partnership with Craig Melvin from the Today Show and his family worked with one family to provide a fully furnished home which is an incredible example of the organization’s focus of ensuring every student has a home!

The post Family Promise: Ensuring Every Student Has A Home appeared first on Getting Smart.

Pathways programs, in or out of school, are helping to connect young people to employment and economic opportunities. These programs and platforms are successful when they make a wide variety of job opportunities accessible, providing young people with the freedom and choice to find jobs that uniquely fit into their lifestyles while giving them tools to establish a foundation of financial freedom.

These tools also are a boon to companies. They rapidly adjust to evolving workforce patterns and demands by making their job openings instantly available to a wide audience of untapped talent, using the power of AI to provide useful data to build, incentivize, and retain a robust talent pipeline.

The following attributes are core elements of effective early career matching tools: 

• Diverse Opportunities: Entry-level jobs can range from gig-based roles to traditional employment, catering to the diverse preferences of today’s youth.
• AI-Driven Matching: The rise of AI technology enables seamless integration across busy schedules, varied interests, and rapidly changing lives.
• Economic Empowerment: These tools must enable teens to find jobs that fit their lifestyle and support their economic goals, providing them with resources and advice on financial literacy.
• Accountability and Reliability: Companies must find reliable youth talent quickly and easily, addressing the issue of high turnover and saving costs.

These platforms and tools cannot simply be job-finding tools; they must facilitate support and guidance tools to help youth navigate the complexities of modern employment. To better understand the emerging tools, I spoke to William Ward, the Founder and CEO of Flexie, about how Flexie is working to support black and brown youth.

AB: How does Flexie work? Mission and Vision?

WW: Flexie has the simple mission of democratizing youth economic mobility. Our vision is to create a world that empowers everyone to succeed and thrive financially. True to its mission and vision, the Flexie platform focuses on three key areas: access to job opportunities, connection to social capital, and financial literacy. Flexie connects teens and young adults to various jobs that match their lifestyles and career aspirations, so they will not have to choose between working and going to school but can flexibly do both. 

We combined their ability to find flexible gigs, freelance projects, apprenticeships, and traditional jobs like internships and full-time and part-time jobs on a single platform. Young job seekers can create a profile on Flexie and specify their preferences for their desired jobs. We leverage AI to match them instantly when their preferred jobs become available. Soon, young people will have videos and training modules to guide them toward their career aspirations, a network of mentors in different professional fields to advise and help open doors for them, and tools to provide financial guidance and a path to creating generational wealth.

AB: How do you think education needs to change to empower students of color for the future workforce?

WW: As the workforce transitions from knowledge-based to skills-based, schools must play their part in preparing students to succeed. Research shows that over 70% of high schoolers feel unprepared for college or the workforce. This leaves many young people, 18 and over, who neither work nor go to school. Additionally, most young people, especially those from low-income communities, who eventually make it to college become worse off financially because they take on student loans and are not prepared for the workforce after graduation because they need more practical skills. Schools should incorporate practical work hours into their educational curriculum and encourage students to explore internships and apprenticeships early in their academic journeys. Flexie can be a strategic partner that connects schools and companies. 

AB: How do you see the workforce changing to enable students to succeed?

WW: We see more companies embracing nontraditional work methods that provide better flexibility and options for high schoolers. For example, some companies working with Flexie have opened flexible shifts, which is a win-win for them and students working on the Flexie platform. 

Companies can maintain a pool of rotating “Flexers” that cover their open shifts, while students can conveniently work schedules that match their availability. We also see a growing number of industrial companies taking on more high school interns and apprentices, which opens opportunities for early career and technical education competencies for high schoolers and provides a pathway to meaningful wages. 

AB: Give me an example of a Flexie success story.

WW: Flexie is becoming a staple for our early adopters of high school and college students. They enjoy flexibility and access to financial independence. One of our early users, Debany, is now a high school student. Flexie was her first job when we started the pilot last year. Previously, Debany could not hold a regular job as the eldest of her six siblings, for whom she provided care and was actively involved in school activities. With Flexie, Debany could plan her work schedule around her availability and commit to school and personal obligations. Through Flexie, Debany eventually bought her first car. See Debany’s and other students’ stories. 

AB: What organizations, schools, and companies use Flexie now?

WW: Flexie works with students from various high schools in Charlotte, including Julius Chambers, West Charlotte, Hawthorne, Charlotte Lab, and Olympic High School. We also work with national brands like Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s and will soon expand to clean energy and other industrial companies. We also partner with local organizations working with students, including Communities in Schools, MeckEd, and Road to Hire.

AB: What is your hope for Flexie’s future?

WW: I aim for Flexie to become a future-of-work leader for an evolving workforce. Flexie’s unique approach of allowing young job seekers to find nontraditional jobs (gigs, freelance projects, and apprenticeships) and traditional jobs (full-time, part-time, and internships) on a single platform and its proprietary algorithm helps companies quickly identify and cultivate high-performing and highly reliable early talent, positioning the company to become a future market leader.

The post A Flexible Solution to Workforce Development and Economic Mobility appeared first on Getting Smart.

According to Dr. K, helping students to position their voices should be central to our work as educators and requires us to create the space and conditions for every student to feel seen, heard, and valued. Most importantly, we must help students to position their voices in powerful ways. To do so, we must listen, reflect, and act on what we hear, even when it is hard. Focusing on student voice promotes engagement at every level, builds trust with teachers, addresses equity in the classroom and the wider community, and ultimately contributes to student success.

The My Voice is Powerful Book Series emerged from the Voice Leadership Camp for Girls and Boys. Voice Leadership Camp (VLC) is an evidence-based learning experience for children in grades 1st through 8th. The program focuses on creating a safe space for every student to be seen, heard, and valued.

I spoke to Dr. K about the MViP Book Series, the Voice Leadership Camp for Children, and Voice Positioning Training for Educators. 

Why has voice been such a large part of your work? 

As children, we learn critical lessons about our voice. One of the most prevalent lessons handed down through the generations is, “Children should be seen and not heard.” Recognizing the negative impact of these childhood lessons, I focused my doctoral research at Northeastern University on how they are silent or silenced in schools and communities. Based upon the findings from my research, I have committed my work to helping others position their voices in ways that allow them to harness their power and master their influence. In 2018 I released the book The Voice Positioning System: 7 Ways to Harness Your Power and Master Your Influence. 

Why is it essential to educate our youth about their voice, especially students of color? 

Seventeenth-century educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi espoused a “whole-child” approach that emphasized the development of all aspects of a child. I believe that to educate the whole child, we must give voice to their self-worth, self-love, self-esteem, and self-awareness. In addition, every child need self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. It is what every child needs!

What made you start the Voice Leadership Camps?

Findings from the 2019 Center for Disease Control (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) study of middle school students in South Carolina showed the following startling results. 

Across the state, 30% of middle school girls had been electronically bullied through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media outlets. In addition, 45% of girls reported being in a physical fight at some point, while 55% had been bullied on school property. The CDC also reported that 30% of middle school girls had seriously thought about killing themselves, 20% had planned how they would kill themselves, and 13% had attempted death by suicide. 

Findings from the 2019 YRBSS report also showed that 15% of middle school boys had been electronically bullied. Shockingly, 73% of boys had been in a physical fight at some point, and 42% had been bullied on school grounds. The negativity surrounding these youth contributed to their thoughts of self-harm. The report further indicated that 15% of boys in middle school had seriously thought about killing themselves, 9% had planned to kill themselves, and 6% had attempted death by suicide. 

In 2020, Dr. Kimberly Searcy, Senior Facilitator and Curriculum Developer, and I created the Voice Leadership Camp (VLC) for Girls and Boys to intervene in and disrupt these behaviors. VLC is a youth development program that delivers voice positioning education to girls in grades 1st through 8th. In the VLC program, students are immersed in understanding how to harness the power of their voice and master their influence. Through our interactive curriculum, students focus on voice identity, confidence, visibility, ownership, and amplification. Additionally, the curriculum provides voice strategies for building character, setting boundaries, and self-advocacy. 

What is your main goal for the children who participate in VLC? 

Through our research-based curriculum, our overarching goal is to give students the voice tools and strategies they need to gain the courage to stand up, show up, and speak up for themselves. Engaging students in our interactive workbooks and activities helps us to make voice positioning education exciting, engaging, and empowering.

What are some of the results from the VLC program so far?                                                                                                

Our pre-and post-participant surveys show that graduates increase their social and collaboration skills, confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Graduates also develop peer support networks. In addition, over 91% of graduates report advocating for themselves or someone else because of the program. The most meaningful result is their voice transformation. For example, I want to share a “Dear Voice” letter one of our VLC participants wrote to his voice:

What inspired you to write the My Voice Is Powerful Book Series? 

I wanted to create a voice starter resource to help parents and educators facilitate voice positioning for early learners. I wanted to introduce the foundation for building voice power. As a result, parents, early learning centers, and elementary schools have found tremendous value in including the series in their classrooms and libraries. 

Do you provide voice positioning training for educators?

In 2024, we launched The Voice Leadership Academy. One of the signature learning opportunities of the Academy is to provide voice positioning workshops and training for educators. The goal is to equip and support educators in becoming VOICE Champions for their students. We are currently scheduling consultations with School Administrators interested in bringing our workshops and training to their schools. https://re-sourcesolutions.com/contact/

Andrew Miller from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development states “Voice and Choice can allow students to explore their passion and be honored for their ideas and opinion.”  The My Voice is Powerful Book Series, Voice Leadership Camp for Girls and Boys, and Voice Positioning Workshops and Training for Educators help elevate students’ voices in transformational ways!

The post Elevating Student Voice through Voice Leadership Camps and the MViP Books appeared first on Getting Smart.

Understanding Interventions has three main goals:

• First, to provide new insights into teaching, learning, and training through research. 
• Second, to enhance the community that understands and utilizes the results of educational interventions, by sharing information and fostering collaborations. 
• Third, to provide training and professional development for all STEM personnel, with the goal of increasing diversity in the field. 

Nearly two decades ago, Understanding Interventions was born out of a workshop that was a collaboration between the National Research Council and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Its mission is to translate insights for those responsible for educating students in STEM, to equip them with the skills and resilience needed to succeed in their careers and contribute to society. UI seeks to develop strategies and offer tools that aid practitioners in serving students and accumulating knowledge. 

Currently, black, and Latino students face high dropout rates in STEM Ph.D. programs, with 46% leaving before completion and 45% taking up to seven years to finish. Understanding Interventions is working towards changing these statistics by innovating programs that educate and empower students. Patrick Valdez, of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, believes that “our programs must also be innovative” to shape the next generation of innovators. 

I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Anthony DePass, one of the founders of UI, a few questions about the organization and its goals:

What was the impetus to start Understanding Interventions?

While there has been a long history of developing opportunities and programs to address broadening participation in science careers, much of this has been fueled by intuition and not necessarily by empirical research. This is not to say that research has not been conducted in this area. However much of this research is academically focused and not necessarily looking at translational implications. In other words, much of the research has not necessarily been sufficiently informed by practice and is often published in journals that practitioners do not read, and even if they were to read it the language can be impenetrable. In 2006, Clif Poodry, the former leader of the National Institutes of Health’s division for Training, Workforce Development, partnered with the National Research Council to investigate this issue. Clif joined the NIH back in the mid-1990s, and his efforts really pushed the idea of accountability where programs or the grant proposals to fund programs needed to start having mechanism by which they would set clear objectives and do the proper assessment to see if those objectives are being met. The next step that Clif from this foundation of accountability was to do work on the scholarship of interventions- moving from the “what,” to asking the “why” questions. 

The need for such an effort was demonstrated when a program set up to fund this type of work and disappointingly, many of the proposals failed to pose the kind of questions or employ the appropriate methodologies were appropriate to gain deeper understanding the interventions that were being utilized. These approaches and methodologies required deeper integration of those used in the social and behavioral sciences, while most practitioners and emerging researchers in this translational space were in the basic sciences like biology chemistry and math. The research involved the study of non-cognitive aspects and psychosocial factors that would be predictive or significantly influence decision and performance outcomes for individuals pursuing STEM and STEM-related careers.

This collaboration resulted in the formation of a committee that was Co-Chaired by me and Larry Hedges distinguished professor at Northwestern University, I was a professor at Long Island University at the time, where I ran several programs, and served as program evaluator and grant reviewer for many programs targeting diversity in STEM. At the end of the year, the work of the committee culminated in a workshop in Washington DC. That workshop brought together individuals from communities of practice and research, and it was clear that an area of research that is more translational needed to be defined, with venues set for collaboration across communities, and dissemination of this work. 

How has Understanding Interventions changed the STEM landscape for students?

Understanding Interventions stands to significantly impact the STEM landscape as it creates opportunities for many to develop deeper understanding of the components and factors that impact decision making and performance outcomes as it relates to STEM, especially from those individuals from underserved and marginalized communities. We see not only the generation of scholarship in this area, but that translation of the scholarship into interventions in the classroom and in the laboratory, as well as in other spaces where we train the next generation for the STEM workforce. It is through informed approaches related to STEM teaching, learning and engagement that we will more effectively expand diversity in our STEM pathways, as well as significantly integrate the careers that by necessity requires deeper understanding of STEM and quality training in STEM areas.

How has it helped STEM practitioners?

Understanding Interventions, through its training activities, dissemination of research, and the provision of resources facilitate informed practices leading to more productive outcomes related to broadening participation in STEM. There is significant evidence that some of what we see as positive outcomes from several programs and activities might have been through selection and cherry picking, rather than development of talent in individuals who otherwise would not be in STEM. We see Understanding Interventions and the work that comes out of the conferences the journal and the other resources in terms of access to the literature as helping to inform practitioners and inform activities so we can be much more effective not only in training individuals, but also bringing in communities that have been previously marginalized and minoritized and frankly excluded from this space.

What is the most significant challenge for students and practitioners of color in STEM careers?

Unfortunately, we have disproportionate numbers of students of color who also are from lower socioeconomic classes in this country, and many others in the world. Consequently, there are issues of access and not only to equipment and facilities but also to qualified teachers in this space. Success in STEM often means early access and early interventions. The realities would make it lacking for certain aspects of the population and as a result make it challenging for members of these minoritized and marginalized communities to successfully pursue STEM in ways that reflect their representation in the general population. 

What do you hope Understanding Interventions will accomplish in the next five years?

Understanding Interventions since 2007 has developed a strong community spanning several areas. We have not only trained emerging scholars and practitioners, but we have also curated scholarships in this area. We have launched an Understanding Interventions Journal that serves as a venue for published work in this area. We have also developed the UI Index that is a curated database of articles and other information that individuals who want to perform scholarship in this area or are practitioners who are looking to locate aggregated published work on Interventions. Our annual conferences provide venues for dissemination, and in finding and networking with colleagues in the areas of scholarship, practice, and evaluation. These opportunities facilitate collaboration and discourse. 

This year, we released UI IMPACTS (Inclusive Matching for Professional Advancement and Inclusion in Science) that serves as a public square for STEM. This is a social media platform that allows individuals in all areas of STEM at all levels to interact, find opportunities for mentoring, locate opportunities for post-secondary STEM training and adds a social context that STEM has lacked historically. Here is where individuals can network, form groups based on interests, recruit and provide relevant information to be recruited as users can develop and maintain a portfolio of the work that they have done across several media. There are also opportunities to include information on prior training, personal statements, and other information useful such that venues training and academic programs as well those for potential employment to identify potential candidates. This is especially valuable for those from minorities and marginalized communities. We are potential employers and programs have struggled with recruitment.

We see the Understanding Interventions community growing significantly over the next five years. Our last meeting had nearly 250 registrants we see that significantly increasing as we embark on broader collaborations with programs and the National Institutes of Health the National Science Foundation and many other agencies that provide funding that could leverage the information and training that understanding interventions provides.“Finding information about women in science and engineering, as well as underrepresented minorities in these fields, is not a challenge. However, it can be difficult to locate information about the intersection of both.” This statement was made by Mahlet Mesfin from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Understanding Interventions is broadening the impact of science by bridging these gaps and igniting innovation!

The post Understanding Interventions: Broadening The Impact of Science appeared first on Getting Smart.

NAF offers challenging, career-focused programs incorporating current industry standards and practices, project-based learning, and performance-based assessment. Through relationships with industry leaders and the business community, NAF empowers instructors to broaden classroom limits by introducing students to real-world issues in high-growth industries. Students gain important workplace skills and 21st-century competencies to be college and career-ready.

The advisory boards serve as a vital link between the classroom and business. They offer full, continuing support to NAF academy personnel and students by acting as ambassadors in their networks and communities, assisting in creating exciting new work-based learning and internship possibilities. Business professionals and community leaders serve on local advisory committees to help shape talent in high school. Members of the advisory board engage with educators to inform curricula and coordinate job-based learning activities. Advisory boards help students to form ties with mentors and learn from successful adults at an early age.

Darrell Kain, NAF’s Director of Advisory Board Activation, spoke with me about work-based learning, NAF advisory boards, and their role in the NAF process.

How did your journey at NAF begin?

My passion for real world learning stems from having exciting internships at a young age. In high school I interned at a telecommunications company that focused on EMS technical systems and in college I held internships at the U.S. Army Personnel Command where I focused on information systems. I continued my professional growth by completing my bachelor’s degree in engineering management from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and then spent five years as an Army officer where I led tactical and technical training activities. After the military, I worked in management positions in corporate America where I partnered with telecommunications and supply chain professionals and delivered professional development. My most recent career experiences have focused on building business-education partnerships at leading organizations like PLTW and NC State University and I was a volunteer on a NAF business advisory board at the Apex High School, Academy of Information Technology. I joined NAF in January 2023 as they were enhancing their services for business advisory boards and desired to better equip volunteers throughout the network. I was referred to NAF by a former NAF employee whom I had partnered with on another education-business project. 

How do NAF advisory boards work, and how many do you have nationwide?

NAF supports and partners with over 600 academies within high schools across the country and U.S. territories. We provide best practice recommendations, resources, and support for board development though each academy has the autonomy to decide the board structure that works best in their geography and local economy. There are more than 300 advisory boards at the academy, school, or district levels. At the academy level, a group of 10-12 professionals are board members each with a chairperson who leads the team’s goal-setting and planning to maximize student impact in the NAF academies. In a few major metro areas, there are career theme-based boards that focus on a specific area such as STEM, hospitality, or health science; these boards are larger and utilize a sub-committee structure to activate their work plans. Regardless of the size or structure, the board works with the academy leaders and teachers to provide students with work-based learning experiences, internships, and classroom support. The advisory board usually meets monthly or bi-monthly and implements yearly strategic plans to support the academy. 

What makes a good advisory board member?

The main quality that is important for an engaged board member is a passion for helping students prepare for their future careers. In most cases, a board member is an industry professional who has experienced success in his or her career and has the heart to volunteer their time and talent. Board members come with a variety of talents and resources, and they can either directly provide support or connect the academy with their network or their employer. The most successful boards listen to the needs and desires of the academies’ teachers and leadership and provide work-based learning opportunities that are relatable and meaningful for students. A great example of a passionate board member is Carlos Vazquez in Miami who oversees a district-wide advisory board that is focused on STEM fields. Carlos and his colleagues run an annual student conference that brings speakers and internship opportunities to over 1,800 students. 

How does the advisory board help high school students get real-world experience?

Advisory Board members work with educators to map out work-based learning opportunities each year through a strategic planning process. These activities include short experiences such as a series of informational interviews. This is where students interview industry professionals about their career paths or longer activities such as mentored industry projects or internships where students are working on authentic job-related tasks under the supervision of an employer supervisor or mentor. These activities help inform students’ career possibilities, provide opportunities for students to build their technical and future-ready skills, and make the connections they need to help them navigate their path forward. 

What have students been sharing with you about NAF?

One student shared, “Personally, getting exposed to mock interviews really opened my eyes to how the real world is. Before having a mock interview, I believed that when someone applied for a job, they immediately got it. I was completely wrong, applying is not simply just submitting a form and getting accepted right away. It is about showing who you are and what you can bring to the “table” as some would say. “

Another said, “We toured Twitter and that is where I learned more about marketing, and it intrigued me. And I already loved sports, so it became clear. Combining my budding interest in marketing with my love for sports – like soccer, hockey, and basketball – would be a great career path for myself. Because of the classes, activities, and connections to the Advisory Board, today, I am confident. I am a leader. “

A former student attended a NAF academy at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. They shared that “NAF provided me with opportunities that allowed me to take part in the farm at Woodlawn High School and introduced me to my current employer, Jones Valley Teaching Farm. Today, as a farm & apprenticeship manager, I get to play the role that others in the NAF community played for me, helping students ignite their passion for learning.” 

NAF supports high school students’ ambitions by providing fair possibilities for a prosperous future and contributing to a creative, highly skilled, diverse workforce.

If you’re interested in learning more about NAF or joining an advisory board in your area, reach out to Darrell Kain at dkain@naf.org.

The post Real World Experience with NAF Advisory Boards appeared first on Getting Smart.

A report by American Progress says, “Developing and implementing a clear education continuum for youth as they enter, stay in, and return home from a juvenile detention facility can make the difference between having access to opportunities and being forced to drop out of school.” One thing is evident when we think about the many problems with the criminal justice system today: too many young people do not get the help they need to do well. On any given day, close to 60,000 kids under 18 are in jail, and more than 500 are under the age of 12.

One program striving to change this risk factor for recidivism is E.A.R.N. the Right Inc. The goal of E.A.R.N. the Right, Inc., (ETR) is to empower at-risk youth and prepare them for opportunity, says Joe Sicilio, founder of ERT.

E.A.R.N. the Right, Inc. has done over 500 hours of community service by delivering the E.A.R.N. the Right workshop to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and school districts throughout the state. 

Coach Joe and the EARN the Right team believe that “success is not an entitlement – one must EARN the Right to be successful.” EARN the Right teaches adolescents communication and social skills so that they may successfully advocate for themselves throughout their lives. ERT teaches youth how to climb above their current situations and achieve their professional, educational, and personal goals. Over the last decade, EARN the Right has worked with over 1,000 young people and those who serve them.

I sat with Joe Sicilio (Coach Joe) for a Q&A about the program:

What made you start EARN the Right?  

I really do not know how to answer this. The only thing I can say is that it was put on my heart to reach out to our youth providing them with skillsets that will allow them to self-advocate in educational, workplace and community settings.

What is your main goal for the students in the program?

One of the main goals is to have them understand they are worth it, and to instill self-confidence in them so they will want to move forward in a positive manner. 

What are some of the positive outcomes of the program?

We have discovered leaders who never knew they were leaders. We have had kids open up and talk through some of their circumstances. We have discovered career paths. We have even had students go on and get their High school diploma, and GED, and even go on to higher education.

Describe the impact of EARN the Right on a particular student.

In our program, there is a lot of role-play. As we started the program at Camp Aspen one of the young men was so nervous and shaking, he would not role-play. Come to find out he was the lowest-ranking person, the other guys did not want him to participate because they would have to if he did. As the classes continued and we were able to work independently he began to open. Role-playing became easier and he led his group in an activity and was the lead presenter. We found out he loved technology, so the role play was selling me a cell phone using the skill sets learned in EARN the Right. He was then when released and went on to Tech School in the upstate.

What is your vision for the next few years?

My vision is to grow the EARN the Right organization so we can reach more of our youth. Connect with the students as they move forward to provide mentoring. Our goal is to connect them with local businesses for employment opportunities. For those who excel in the program, we want to bring them back into the loop to help facilitate the EARN the Right program.   

The post E.A.R.N. The Right: Empowering At-Risk Youth with Opportunity appeared first on Getting Smart.

Young Men United (YMU) is an evidence-based initiative that provides wrap-around services to college-ready high school students beginning in the tenth or eleventh year to develop barrier-free pathways for young Black men to achieve their academic and career goals.

YMU supports individuals as they complete high school, enter and progress through their chosen post-secondary track, and transition from their post-secondary pathway to the workforce.

Young Men United was founded in 2020 as an extension of the revitalized Milwaukee Fellows program, in collaboration with United Way Worldwide. The project boasts an 85% college graduation rate for Black males, compared to the national average of 40%. The program is presently in thirty-one pilot cities, with an emphasis on the five Core Pillars that comprise a YMU Fellow. These five fundamental pillars are as follows:

• Mentorship
• Career and Professional Development
• Scholarship Opportunities
• Internships and Job Experiences
• Civic Engagement

Whether it is technology, coaching, or a financial donation, YMU is committed to assisting our young Black men in thriving, from internships and college readiness to career certainty.

In my community, the United Way of the Midlands runs the program, which will scale up to 200 total students by the conclusion of its fifth year. The current goal is to be at 75 total students by December 2023. The effort will establish new collaborations with four local Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as other institutions of higher learning in the Midlands. The program’s purpose is to boost postsecondary education attainment while also improving retention and workforce development.

Dr. Jabari Bodrick, Director of Education and Resiliency at my local United Way, spoke with me about the YMU program and his hopes for its influence on young black men in my community. “Young Men United gives us another avenue to create generational change throughout the Midlands,” he said. We are excited to collaborate with school systems across the Midlands to offer young Black men with the vital support they require to create bright futures.”

Jabari received his Ph.D. in College Student Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Georgia. He wishes for other young men to have the same opportunity he did to attend college. Jabari worked in higher education before being asked to run YMU. Jabari said, “I witnessed firsthand how difficult it is for young Black men to navigate the educational system.” He worked at the University of South Carolina, the University of Maryland, and Elon University with the athletic program. Most PWIs have less than 5% African American male students, and Jabari stated that “these young men are looking for help and support that is not readily available.” “Neither do these young men find many faculty members who look like them.” YMU will offer campus and workplace tours to provide these young men with early exposure and information. “Young men who are prepared for college and careers feel ownership and feel comfortable networking to support them in life in general,” according to Jabari. “We will provide comprehensive services, free computer software, and even family support services.”

Why should young Black males be mentored?

Why should you support programs like Young Men United?

Black mentors serve as constructive influences that may confront any negative internalized attitudes about their own race that underprivileged youngsters may have. Black male mentors give Black adolescents a revitalized sense of worth, which influences their attitude and conduct.

The Top Reasons Why Black Male Mentors Are Important:

#1: They are culturally aware.

It is well recognized that black boys face many challenges growing up, including the failure of critical structures that are designed to aid in their development. Given that Black males have a particular set of experiences growing up that frequently effects their development, it is critical that their mentors have had those experiences as well. To fully address those difficulties, they must first be recognized. Relationships between a mentor and a mentee might be prone to cultural misunderstandings and mistrust if the mentor has not dealt with these problems as a Black man. Like any other connection, a good mentorship is built on empathy and trust.

#2: They help to strengthen healthy racial identification.

While discussing race is not always easy, it eventually leads to a stronger racial identity  and emotions of connectedness within the community. Underserved adolescents who once felt isolated and misunderstood can now use the common ground they share with their mentor to increase their own self-esteem. Black mentors serve as constructive influences that may confront any negative internalized attitudes about their own race that underprivileged youngsters may have.

Black male mentors provide Black adolescents a revitalized sense of worth, which influences their attitude and conduct. Furthermore, research indicates that positive racial identification is substantially connected with higher levels of academic motivation in African American middle and high school students. When youth can define themselves in terms of their race, they feel more group pride and perform better academically.

 #3: They are critical thinkers.

Black male mentors and young Black men can have genuine interactions because they share a common understanding. By discussing the effects of race and socioeconomic class, the mentee will see how they affect their daily lives and develop a critical mind. The ability to notice and comprehend social, political, and economic oppressions is referred to as critical consciousness. With critical consciousness, we can address these challenges and take corrective action that will result in visible change for our underserved youth.

If under-served youth have the tools to discuss and understand racial and socioeconomic issues, they can position themselves to not be conquered by it. This empowerment gives young Black men the capacity to understand their strengths and have a respect for the perseverance and resilience of their community, which will then help them persevere through the challenges they  may face growing up.

#4: They help in closing opportunity gaps.

Because of the special problems that young Black men may endure, they may face disproportionate economic and social disadvantages. Over-referral for school disciplinary action and special education, as well as impediments to college enrollment and completion, can all have significant and long-term ramifications for their future earning potential. Mentoring, on the other hand, can serve as both an intervention and a networking connection to help turn those obstacles into possibilities. Black male mentors offer Black youth proactive supports to help them succeed as well as a second chance to reconnect with the critical structures that will help them realize their full potential.

The constantly supportive character of mentorship provides a secure space for young Black males to work through their issues and problems in completing crucial milestones in academic and interpersonal relationships. Mentoring lets the mentor share their personal and professional knowledge and experience, which can help young Black men get through these milestones and think about their futures more broadly. For example, to do well in the job market today, Black professionals have had to develop skills that make them independent and stand out. They can share these methods and provide crucial advice to their mentees as a Black mentor.

As a mentor, I am enthused about the potential of Young Men United. The capacity to expose these young men to job and college opportunities, as well as to empower them to make informed decisions with the help of a caring adult, has been demonstrated to be critical to their success.

The post Young Men United: Opportunity Awaits appeared first on Getting Smart.

Youth who face homelessness also face numerous educational barriers. However, when a young person loses their housing, a school can offer stability, affirmation, and hope. Community service providers are critical in connecting houseless youth to schools and providing wraparound services to improve attendance and academic success. Wraparound services are provided in my community by excellent community support programs such as Family Promise, the Alston Wilkes Society, and the United Way.

Programs

Family Promise: operates the Tomorrow’s Promise Opportunity Center, which supports students who are part of families with stability issues with enrichment activities, including athletics, music, and art.

Alston Wilkes Society: A Youth Home that services male youth aged 11-21 offers 24-hour supervised care, and individual, group, and family therapy sessions. Many of the young men attend school locally and have trade programs and technical school or college placement upon obtaining a GED or High School Diploma.

The United Way: MIRCI’S Youth Drop-in Center is an outreach center open daily from 8 am – 5 pm for showers, meals, and case management help. The program serves youth ages 17-24.

Aniyah’s Story

Steve Ware is the Founder and CEO of the Game Changers program at Rivers Edge Retreat in Columbia, South Carolina. The Retreat holds a kid’s camp that provides free or reduced lunch to underprivileged children and youth in Columbia and Lexington, South Carolina.

In the video “Eight is Enough,” Steve reflects on meeting Aniyah Strong in his summer program and asking her about who inspires her in life. As a member of his Young Future Leaders Program, Aniyah responded, “her brothers and sisters and her mother.” Steve talks about the interactions between the siblings and the level of love, respect, and discipline they all showed as students and program participants. When Steve asked Aniyah about the situation with her parents, he discovered that the family had lived in a hotel room for the last two years. Six kids living with their mom and no dad who was abusive when he was around is hard, but the Strong family perseveres. A single mom watching six kids sleep in one pull-out bed for four years is also difficult. Aniyah’s dad died tragically by suicide.

When you pull back the blinds and investigate the lives of these students, you find a lot of traumas. “The Strong family does everything they can to help themselves,” says Steve Ware, but programs like Game Changers at the Rivers Edge Retreat help these students thrive. Eight is Enough was created by a supportive wrap-around school/community-based program. The Game Changers program has since found the Strong family a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence. The program was also able to provide furniture for the residents.

For youth to be successful, they must feel secure at home. We must continue to combat youth homelessness.

The post Eight Is Enough: Combating Youth Homelessness appeared first on Getting Smart.

An excerpt from the Poem “Young King” by BFoundPen in honor of Black History Month.

The thoughtful words of “BFoundPen”(Brian the Man Behind the Pen) inspire me.

He states, “I wrote this poem because I wish I had someone to tell me those things when I was growing up.” Young black boys are criminalized at a young age and have been conditioned to spend a lifetime in and out of jail cells. A lot of the time, black boys don’t have their fathers around while growing up. Even if they do, sometimes their father isn’t a good example of how to be a successful man.

“There is an insane lack of black male teachers and male role models overall.” A lot of black boys must try to figure out how to be men on their own. They eventually turn to their peers and older men for guidance. They don’t have anyone to tell them that toxic masculinity isn’t something you want to give in to. There’s no one to say, “Hold your head up. You’re destined for greatness.”

As a young man born in Harlem, New York, and raised on the south side of Chicago, I always had dreams. I started dreaming to release the pain of my mother’s passing, and my father’s decision to allow my aunt and uncle to raise me. I remember feeling abandoned and wondering how I would make it in life. I was lucky to have two heroic role models in my adoptive parents, who loved and nurtured me in a Christian home, and two great sisters who supported me as their brother from another mother. I had four male childhood friends who started with me in kindergarten and are still my friends 54 years later, and a cadre of family and extended family who got me through. Finally, I had a praying grandma who was a stern visionary and a fantastic cook who forced me to believe I could do or be anything in this world!

That was back in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, but what about now? Do our boys still have dreams? Like BFoundPen describes, what are their dreams? What are the challenges they face? Who are their role models? What events shaped their lives, and how do they cope with and overcome them now?

In my search for answers to these questions, I wanted to research the topic and talk to two young men I consider heroes, one born in rural South Carolina and the other in inner-city Baltimore, about how they are fulfilling their dreams. Below are their stories.

Tre’ Gammage – Social Emotional Learning Consultant

As a child, I dreamt of becoming an athlete, but it seemed a far-off fantasy until my senior year of high school. After finally hitting my growth spurt, I became the strongest, biggest, and fastest player on my team, and I earned a scholarship to play Division 1 football at Miami (Ohio) University.

Thanks to incredible coaches who were supportive and motivating, I was able to take full advantage of my scholarship and explore the world beyond football. But, when I reached college, I was no longer the biggest and strongest player on the team, and I found myself relegated to the bench. After hitting a breaking point and failing a drug test, I was almost kicked off the team.

Fortunately, I was given a second chance, and I made the most of it. I joined Student Government, studied abroad, and earned a starting spot on the football field. My experience taught me the importance of giving your all and never giving up.

Realizing this dream has been a powerful revelation for me: I can have everything I want, and no dream is too far out of reach. After re-establishing my grandfather’s business, authoring a book, and even being elected to office as a City Council member, I’m now married with a child and soon to have another.

My mission now is to make it easier for others to follow their passions and pursue their purpose. I call this “facilitating purpose” and it’s my way of helping people reach for and achieve their dreams!

Chris J. Harried – Community Engagement Coordinator, Doctoral Student

I dreamt of becoming a cancer research scientist. Aside from low self-esteem and self-concept, I had to learn how to succeed despite my parents’ struggles with both the racialized mass incarceration and substance abuse disorder crises.

Thankfully, I had role models in both of my grandmothers and mentors who were patient with me and showed me the importance of remaining focused on my dream. Their example was so crucial for me because it spurred me to mature and develop in a way that allowed me to have a stronger understanding of the world around me.

I was fortunate enough to get tied into community-based service programs and through those experiences, I expanded my network and capacity to be a leader and overcome my challenges. One of the most impactful experiences I had was helping to meet the needs of Alaskan Native Youth as an AmeriCorps Service Member.

My time in AmeriCorps gave me insight and expanded my cultural competence and humility. Many of the lessons I learned during this time have informed my approach to being an educator and counselor. In this modern era of us surviving in the shadow of a global health crisis, more attention has been called to the importance of tending to one’s mental health. The importance of this aspect of our lives cannot be understated, especially as it pertains to Black Males.

I dream of leveraging my gifts to improve the Black Male experience in the United States with a specific emphasis on the impact of education.

Like these two “Young Kings”, black boys believe their story would change if they could be heard, but then they realize the world is not listening. One young man stated, “The way people look at me: I am filthy, dirty for being black.” “The only way I can survive is to be perfect.” They enter classrooms where they are defined as deviant criminals who live in communities full of alcoholics, drug addicts, and resentful black men who are mentally pummeled. “No one cares if we die.”

They are sent the message that being smart is anti-Black. A collective belief system shift is required: believing and dreaming differently is acceptable. We need a new construct, a revised mindset, and a rewiring of their brains. We need to train them for opportunities outside of sports. They need, want, and deserve help. They need people to help them outside of sports. What is the point of working on anything else if your only sense of belonging and acceptance is in sports? Being a doctor, teacher, or lawyer seems unrealistic.

Black boys believe that this free, beautiful world was not created for them because they think they are being hunted down and murdered. It is a challenge to their humanity. “In a system with systematic, embedded, and evasive inequities, black boys are at the bottom,” said Dr. John King, Jr., CEO of Education Trust. “We need to teach our children to dream with their eyes open,” says Dr. Harry Edwards.

“Education must include social justice.” We cannot operate schools and ignore students’ realities daily. “These students intersect with their blackness in every area of life,” said Dr. Travis Bristol, a UC Berkeley professor. “We need to elevate student voices,” according to Malcolm London. “The Trauma in black boys’ Face” is a form of life-long PTSD.” Michael Smith, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.

What Black boys need at this moment:

• Role Models
• Mentoring
• Guidance
• Father Figures
• Caring Adults

Malcolm X wanted to be a lawyer; his teacher told him, “You’re Black; you can’t be a lawyer.” Black boys need positive self-identity—there is nothing wrong with them, nothing to be ashamed of, and they need honesty, accountability, and unconditional love, which can be transformational. Black boys need to be safe, heard, and validated. Black boys need people who believe in their infinite possibilities and humanity. They do not need saviors. They need believers who believe in their greatness.

The post Our Boyz Still Have Dreams appeared first on Getting Smart.