Teens of Color Abroad

Join TOCA's Founder Lamar Shambley and Jackie Broussard at this year's Global Respectful Disruption on December 13th! The Global Disruption Summit is a professional gathering centered on the theme “Rest as Resistance,” particularly designed for the global education community. This event is dedicated to promoting wellness, community, and healing, emphasizing the crucial role of rest in the demanding field of education. Register for the virtual event here: https://lnkd.in/dRduQ77v #studyabroad #teensofcolorabroad #globaleducation

Cravath is proud to provide pro bono counsel to a variety of small non-profit and charitable organizations including Amend, Black Fashion World Foundation, Inc., Earth Matter NY, SPEAKHIRE, Teens of Color Abroad, Spark Arts and the Autism Life Skills Center, assisting with corporate structure and governance, tax, real estate, intellectual property and other mission-critical matters. #ProBonoWeek

We're thrilled to share that our team will be attending the 2024 Diversity Abroad Global Inclusion Conference in Washington, DC! Stop by Lamar Shambley and Melquin Ramos poster session focused on centering U.S. high school students of color in language learning and global education opportunities. The poster will showcase TOCA’s virtual initiatives and study abroad opportunities, as well as demonstrate the impact its had on our students. Lamar and Melquin will share about key partnerships that have made this work possible. Melquin will also have the opportunity to present alongside Daniella Lubey, MSOD and Paulina Belloso on building intentional community in cohort-style programs. See you there! Learn more about the conference here: https://lnkd.in/g2SgFHb #intled #k12 #highered #partnerships #globaled #virtualexchange #studyabroad #languagelearning

Join TOCA on Wednesday, November 13th at 6PM EST for our November Community Circle! For a century, Alliance Française has been promoting French language and French-speaking cultures through language classes, social and cultural events and information resources in Minnesota. An independent chapter of a world-wide organization, Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul (AFMSP) is the 6th largest in the United States. Join us to learn more about the history of Alliance Française in the U.S. and abroad. Alix Lewis-Sadrant, Education Director at AFMSP, will share about program offerings, scheduled activities, scholarship opportunities and more. Register here: https://lnkd.in/esyjkgqQ *This event is open to all interested in learning about Alliance Française.

We are proud to have partnered with Teens of Color Abroad this #summer to help over 35 high school students from across the U.S. immerse themselves in language learning and cultural exchange! Through the TOCA Online program, students connected with #NaTakallam’s Language Partners — native-speaking tutors from conflict-affected backgrounds who shared their #languages and stories from around the world. From studying #Arabic, #French, and #Spanish to engaging in #RefugeeVoices workshops, the students learned about the power of language in building bridges across #cultures. We are thrilled to see the next generation of global citizens embracing languages and perspectives that bring us closer together. Check out the original post 👇🏽 to learn more about the impact of this #partnernship! Bring NaTakallam's programming to your students: natakallam.com/academic.

Happy to announce that I’ve just received this edition of 100 numbered copies of my first book of poems Broken Dreams , published by the Beat Scene Press located in Coventry, England. An expanded US edition will be available on December 10. The U.S. edition of Broken Dreams will be available through Amazon. All authors royalties will be donated to my friends at Teens of Color Abroad so that we can get more students of color abroad. I’ll let you all know when it is available. There will be a three month social media campaign pre release. Many of the poems were written in the late 1970s and 80s but there are more recent poems as well. The style is beat and surrealistic and admittedly not for everyone. They were mostly inspired by my travels in Europe and my days in NYC as an artist. I’ll be doing readings in the U.S. and abroad to support the work. If you’ve got a local bookshop that might be interested let me know. Also, for those going to Alliance for International Exchange conference next week. I’ll have some signed copies. Finally, very cool that it arrived today on my birthday! Lamar Shambley Paulette Aguirre #beat #dada #surrealism #inled.

💻 This past summer, we hosted over 35 high school students from across the US in our TOCA Online virtual exchange program! In our program, students strengthen the speaking and listening modalities of their target language of study, expand their global awareness, participate in cultural exchange workshops with youth across the globe, and develop an actionable community-based project plan that takes their online learning into the real world! This work could not be possible without our incredible partners NaTakallam, QFI, and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) at Georgetown University. The work at CCAS is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. As a TOCA Online Language Fellow, students: - Studied Arabic, French, or Spanish over the course of 10, two-hour classes taught by NaTakallam language partners (LPs) throughout the world who are native speakers of their language. 📚 - Took part in two Refugee Voices workshop sessions, where they had a chance to participate in conversations with displaced persons. 🗣️ - Participated in three virtual exchange sessions with Argentine youth. 🇦🇷 - Completed assignments and online course modules focused on social identity, culture, intercultural communication, global citizenship, and more. 💻 - Developed community-based project plans that they can implement based on all things learned throughout our program. 📝 Addison, Spanish Language Fellow, shared the following about her experience: "The strengths of the TOCA Online program is that it really does help students understand the language that they are trying to learn rather than just memorizing vocabulary and conjugated verbs. I also really enjoyed the Refugee Voice Workshops because I think that students being able to hear from experiences that many other people around the world have been through helps them to be a better global citizen and understand world issues. Being a part of the TOCA Online program over the summer was one of the best [experiences] that I've had and it really helped me appreciate learning Spanish more than I had before I entered the program." Check out some of our amazing language fellows and LPs in action! #intled #k12 #languagelearning #virtualexchange #tocaonline #natakallam

A huge thank you to our partners BÉIS for their continued support of our high school study abroad program! Since 2023, TOCA has partnered with BÉIS to equip our high school travelers with lasting-quality luggage and accessories that would inspire them to seek new places, meet new people, and see the world! 🌍 #studyabroad #highschoolstudyabroad #teensofcolorabroad

In these first days of autumn, we at Open Horizon are still smiling from the collaboration we launched this past summer among three (3!) of our inspiring partners. For the first time, Teens of Color Abroad (TOCA) and National Education Equity Lab (NEEL) each sent scholars abroad on AFS USA summer programs via Open Horizon’s Richard S. & Doris M. Cohen Scholars Program. A total of 5 scholars traveled for this inaugural collaboration. AFS, founded in 1947, fosters meaningful connections and global competence development via intercultural learning programs in scores of countries around the world. Open Horizon co-founder Lisa Cohen’s father went to France with AFS from Boston in 1957. Her mother went to Mexico on a summer exchange with another program, and later became the volunteer Area Director for AFS in New York’s Hudson Valley. Lisa traveled to Argentina on an AFS summer program in 1985 and later worked for the international nonprofit, leading the global training area. Ever since her dad’s untimely passing in 1991, Lisa had been dreaming of an AFS scholarship that honored his memory. With her mom having played such a big role as an AFS volunteer, and in encouraging Lisa’s experiential learning, it made sense to name the program for them both. With Open Horizon’s focus on the value of experiential learning, and our commitment to education justice, it was a natural fit to support young people of color studying abroad and having life-changing intercultural experiences in other countries. With NEEL and TOCA already working with brilliant young people, largely from marginalized communities, to expand their educational opportunities, it made sense to invite a partnership among them and AFS-USA. As NEEL affirms, “Talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not. We aim to change that.” A highlight of the summer for Team OH was a zoom gathering after our Cohen scholars had returned from their programs in Egypt, France, and Spain. What joy to hear from the scholars about their stepping out of their comfort zones, leaving everything familiar, and being immersed in new cultures, communicating in foreign languages, and making meaningful connections that they were maintaining even after returning home to the States. The confidence, skills, and knowledge that these youth gained through this form of learning is nothing short of inspiring. They expressed a commitment to spreading the word to others in their communities, that you can do this, you can go to new places and learn and connect and grow. We are grateful to our partners at AFS USA , Teens of Color Abroad, and National Education Equity Lab for their efforts and support in launching this opportunity!

Join TOCA on Wednesday, October 16th at 6PM EST for our October Community Circle! Founded in 2010, Tilting Futures (formerly Global Citizen Year) has been grounded in equipping young people worldwide to create a meaningful impact on global issues and to create positive change in the world. Through their Take Action Lab immersive learning programs, 17-21 year olds from around the world expand their global perspective and sense of purpose through a research-backed curriculum, cultural immersion experiences, and apprenticeship organizations creating a change. They make friends and mentors for life and graduate into a community of changemakers from across the world. Join us to learn more about Take Action Lab: Human Rights in Cape Town, South Africa and Take Action Lab: Environment & Sustainability in George Town, Malaysia! Allyson Yuen, US Outreach and Partnerships Specialist, and Daniyan Titilayo, Tilting Futures Alumni Ambassador, will share more about their programs and answer your questions. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gj6nhCdr *This event is open to all interested in learning about Tilting Futures programming.