Bignell Watkins Hasser Architects, PC’s Post

🧡 Monday, September 30: Remembering the Children: Orange Shirt Day & National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Let’s honor the survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities, and remember the children who never returned home. This day is a time to reflect on Canada’s painful past and its lasting impact on Indigenous peoples. 🧡 NDTR: A Call to Action The idea of a federally recognized holiday dedicated to reconciliation was proposed in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) as part of their 94 Calls to Action. In Call to Action #80, the TRC called upon the federal government, in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples, to establish a statutory holiday to honor Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. NDTR is a day to reaffirm to Survivors and all those affected by the residential school system that they matter and will never be forgotten. 🧡 The Significance of September 30 NDTR takes place annually on September 30. This date was chosen because it is the time of year when children were taken from their homes and forced to go to residential schools. The timing also presents an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the upcoming school year. It encourages Indigenous Peoples, local governments, schools, and communities to come together and create a more equitable world for future generations. Since 2013, September 30 has been observed as Orange Shirt Day, a movement to recognize the colonial legacy of residential schools and commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Orange Shirt Day recalls the experience of residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad, who at age six was stripped of her brand-new orange shirt on her first day attending the St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, B.C. 🧡 This weekend, let’s educate ourselves, engage in meaningful conversations, and support Indigenous-led initiatives. Together, we can contribute to the healing and the reconciliation process. #NDTR #OrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters #TruthAndReconciliation

Social segregation of students increased where primary free schools opened and neighbouring schools have lost students, found a study led by Rob Higham with the Nuffield Foundation. Free schools were introduced in 2010 to offer parents better choice and increase attainment by boosting competition between local schools. Going forward, the researchers recommended changes in: - How the DfE assesses the potential impacts of free schools on neighbouring schools; - How free schools enact their duties on inclusion and community cohesion; - How free schools are opened. Read more: https://lnkd.in/edZ5a8FY Research team: Rob Higham; Jake Anders; Francis Green; Golo Henseke; Gabriel Chouhy; Ruth McGinity.

By Don Allen, Ed.S., M.A. Ed., MAT "Despite the best intentions, resources are sometimes directed toward initiatives that yield lackluster results or fail to address the root causes of crime. It's time for a paradigm shift – a reevaluation of how the Twin Cities invests in ‘community shirts’ to ensure that every dollar spent translates into tangible benefits for the plan of actually reducing crime - the band-aids are all used up. It’s time to turn to charter schools and after-school academic programs for parents and their children." https://lnkd.in/gPiyUnWA

Help us Revitalize Colorado Family Communities! We need to acknowledge that when declines in enrollment are due to population shifts, the root causes are outside of a school district's control. Surpassing Distinction has developed a proof of concept that applies an evidence-based, community-impact model that lifts community voice, incentivizes district participation, and funnels resources into affected communities to mitigate the negative impacts of the shifts, which can result in school closures and rapid community decline. At its essence, it is an economic stimulus process where population shifts and declining enrollment are factors in community identification. https://lnkd.in/g6HsrQtX

I need your attention for a moment—this is really important. Imagine knowing your child isn’t getting the same opportunities as other kids, simply because they go to a charter school. That’s the reality we’re facing right here in Rochester. Charter schools only receive $0.58 for every $1.00 given to traditional public schools. This means fewer resources, fewer opportunities, and fewer chances for our kids to reach their full potential. We can’t let this slide. Our kids deserve better. They deserve the same chances, the same support, and the same future as anyone else. That's why I’m inviting you to a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, November 16th, from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Exploration Elementary (1001 Lake Ave, Rochester, NY 14613). We’re going to talk about how YOU can make a difference—how we can fight for equity, how we can make our voices heard, and how we can change the system for our kids. This isn't just about talking. It’s about action—about standing up for our kids, reaching out to legislators, and demanding the change they need. Every child should have access to a quality education, no matter where they go to school. If you care about our community and our kids’ futures, please join us. Let’s stand together and fight for the future our kids deserve. 💙 You can register right here: https://lnkd.in/gPUq2F3T Let’s show up for our kids. Let’s change the story. See you there. 🙌📚 #FightForOurKids #EducationalEquity #CharterChampion #RochesterStrong #MakeADifference

In the 10 days leading up to September 30, I'll be sharing details on the beautiful #SurvivorsFlag commissioned by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Survivors’ flag was designed by Vincent Design Inc. during six weeks of consultation, discussion, and collaboration with Survivors from across Canada. Inuit, Mikmaq, Atikamekw, Cree, Ojibway, Dakota, Mohawk, Dene, Nuuchahnult, Secwepemc, and Métis Survivors brought the flag to life by sharing their thoughts, ideas, and lived experiences to identify the important symbolism you see. During summer 2021, discoveries of massive unmarked graves found on the grounds of former residential schools sparked heartfelt responses of mourning throughout Canada and from across the globe. As members of the public inquired about how they could show respect, many Survivors discussed remembrance and the creation of a Survivors flag as a salient and accessible symbol to honour the lives impacted by the residential school system. The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school Survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada. Each element depicted on the flag was carefully selected by Survivors from across Canada, who were consulted in the flag’s creation. The second portion of the flag I will be highlighting today is: The #Children - More than one child is depicted in the design as often whole sibling groups were taken from their parents, younger siblings, grandparents, and community. This is an important time for our country to reflect on its past, and to take steps to realize a very different future. Now is the time to redefine our relationships and build meaningful partnerships based on respect and understanding. There is still much to learn and much to be done. It is imperative that we continue to listen to the voices and truths of survivors, their descendants, FNMI families, FNMI women, and communities. We must seize opportunities to build good and honest relationships as well as seek to start and sustain conversations about how to move forward respectfully. In working together, we can take meaningful action towards making reconciliation a priority each day. Please share to give others the opportunity to learn and reflect. To learn more and purchase your own Survivors flag: www.nctr.ca Flag photos and description credit: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

State legislators have received 124 emails and counting calling for full and fair funding for Maryland's essential community colleges using the action below. Over 2,500 people have signed the "Save Cade Funding for Maryland's Sixteen Community Colleges" change(dot)org petition. When session concludes, several camps may claim credit for restoring some of the $22 million in cuts initially proposed by Gov. Wes Moore. Note this advocacy was led by rank and file faculty on both shores. The question is not who gets credit for averting the worst possible outcome, or even why the Governor cut community college funding in a budget that saw big increases for public PK-12 and university systems. The real question is why have communities across Maryland allowed the Cade formula for their community colleges, which on paper works out to 29 cents for community colleges for every $1 the state allocates to the University System of Maryland, to be positioned as an aspirational funding ceiling rather than the bare minimum floor? Universities pull in huge sums through massive multi-year research grants, nine-digit donations, televised sports, surging endowment investments, and out-of-state tuition dollars. Moreover, private colleges and universities in Maryland receive over $100 million per year in direct state aid. Meanwhile, community colleges scrap for much smaller and more restrictive grants, hustle for humble five-digit donations because they serve few wealthy students, and serve almost exclusively in-state students. A formula designed to allocate less state funding to the higher education institutions with the least access to other sources of wealth represents an inverted set of budgetary and educational priorities. What's more, until last year the promise of the Cade formula was never lived up to by budget makers in Annapolis. It is a testament to the dedication of generations of faculty and staff at Maryland's 16 community colleges that these schools have been able to do so much over the last eight decades with so little. Going forward, it will not be enough to for elected officials to make good on the promise of the Cade formula. Twenty-nine cents to community colleges for every dollar to public universities is not only an insufficient quotient, it is illogical and unethical. Community colleges should be funded based on their need and potential, as determined by thoughtful engagement with all relevant stakeholders, not based on a long-unfulfilled formula that systematizes an ill-fitted "junior" status. This year may not be the year our state's community college stakeholders win the fight for full and fair funding. But please fill out and send the action form below, Marylanders, to let elected officials in Annapolis hear you and to stay connected for the fights to come. CC: Chair Guy Guzzone, Vice Chair Jim Rosapepe, Chair @Ben Barnes, Vice Chair Mark Chang https://lnkd.in/e5iU5iX4

This upcoming school year City Year Jacksonville ‘s theme is “It’s Possible.” And it just so happened to be the first day all 20 of us are wearing shirts that have the definition of “possible” on them. Little did we know we would be demonstrating exactly what that means this morning. At 730am I got a call from our team saying the AC in our entire building was out. Not only would that generally be a problem but it was a huge problem this morning considering we were expecting to host school leaders from all of our whole school, whole child partnership schools plus our staff (50 people!). This was set to begin at 830am! I immediately start calling people at 745am hoping we could pivot quickly and not have anyone suffer through 90degree office heat. Would you believe every person I called picked up? And within minutes I had 2 possible space options for 50 people! 🥹 Thank you Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, Haley Wright Tinkle, Mari Kuraishi, Melanie Patz. (Jacksonville Public Education Fund, Downtown Vision Inc., Jessie Ball duPont Fund, United Way of Northeast Florida ) ❤️ Not only that. When our staff found out we had to pivot, instead of complaining, they picked up the mantle of support and made the shift happen like it was nothing. While the community made space for us, our staff came together as one to make it happen. 💥 As I enter into the revision phase of MY FIRST MANUSCRIPT 📖(you read that right) where I’m writing about the power of community, I am reminded of that even more today. In a time where we are seemingly so divided, we should never forget that every day people and communities are coming together demonstrating something very different. They are showing what’s possible even in trying times. At the end of the day, finding space with AC can feel like a simple logistical thing but I believe it symbolizes something bigger if you look closer. What if in the same way we find division so easily, we also find the ways where we are united and supporting each other? What you seek is what you will find, right? I’ll leave you (and me) with this: How will you unleash the power of community? How have you witnessed it? Key questions I know I’ll keep asking myself. I hope you’ll join me. 💡 #community #jax #united #joyfulcollective #power

Staggering numbers that are available widely and to the public. This is the difference that organizations like Beat the Streets National and the individual chapters can have on their respective communities. I truly believe there is a misconception in that youth from our smaller cities do not face similar challenges as some of our larger metropolitan areas. There are certainly differences but they need support in many of the same ways. "As of the 2022-23 school year, the district's enrollment stands at 17,402 students. All RSD schools are Title I buildings with Community Eligibility Programs providing universal free lunches due to the high number of students designated as low income (currently 95.28%)." - https://lnkd.in/eW2GEgmn That is just one of our many school districts in our cities in South Central PA. There's also a ton of great people working behind the scenes to help these kids. It's the mission of Beat The Streets Lancaster to support these individuals and empowering our youth while ensuring that cost is never a barrier for a child from pursuing their passions.

On the last day of the year, I usually like to end on a positive note. But this year, I am deeply concerned about the future of dance and arts education. After only a year of post-pandemic recovery, we confront a new harsh landscape. NYC’s unprecedented budget cuts, compounded by a shift away from the arts by a number of foundations, will significantly impact the number of under-resourced schools in low-income communities that we can serve to keep our programs free to children and families. There will be no federal lifeline of support this time around. We need individuals and the private sector to step up to keep kids healthy and growing through the arts. Mayor Adams’s November 2023 financial plans call for, “A (sic) two-year reduction to arts programs and institutions is $16.4 million.”  At the same time, “the Department of Youth and Community Development loses approximately $30M in the current year and $43.7M next year, including substantial cuts to Summer Rising and Compass after-school programs. In NYC Public Schools two-year cuts amount to more than $1 billion.” All of these agencies contribute to allowing our programs to be free for children and families. In a world that often feels chaotic and isolating, Dancing Classrooms New York City provides spaces for kids to find peace and break down barriers to healthy, happy, diverse relationships. Please support our work at any level you can by going to https://lnkd.in/egmx8aqD