Primient’s Post

For our fourth Summer 2024 #fellowfridays feature, meet Sam Daponte (he/him)! Sam is one of five fellows selected to be part of our Summer 2024 Cohort. He is currently placed with our partner, The Flossy. Over the next three months, he will focus on mobilizing community support for Canarsie Park by facilitating monthly meetings with park-goers and residents to collaboratively envision and advocate for the park's enhancement. Additionally, Sam will campaign for increased resources and attention, develop a community-driven park stewardship model, and co-organize actions to raise public awareness and support for environmental justice and sustainable urban living. This initiative enhances access to quality outdoor spaces for all young people, promoting physical health and mental well-being, offers educational opportunities in sustainability and climate resilience, encourages youth participation in community planning and advocacy, and creates inclusive spaces for young people to express themselves and engage with their community, enhancing social cohesion. The project will impact 300-500 youth. Here are some quick facts about Sam: 🌆 Hometown: Brooklyn, NY 📍 Placement Location: Canarsie, BK 🎓 Education: Rising senior at the University at Buffalo majoring in Sociology and minoring in Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) with focuses in urban sociology, criminal justice, and educational inequality. 🏞️ Hobbies: Reading, writing, learning history, listening to music, and playing basketball (and constantly stressing about the state of the NY Knicks). 💖 Personal Mission Statement: To utilize my unique past experiences, skills, and knowledge to foster meaningful relationships, uplift those around me, and assist communities that have been historically disadvantaged. 🌟 Personal Mantra: Let’s get this done... We are so happy to have Sam in our community and are eager for the impact he will have with The Flossy and the youth they serve. #fellowfridays #futureleadersinaction #nonprofits #fellowship

Happy National Volunteer Week! 🎉 We couldn’t do this crucial work without our amazing volunteers, who help us ensure young parents in college have resources and support to succeed and pursue family-sustaining careers. No matter who you are or where you live, YOU can make a difference in the lives of a young family. From tutoring our #StudentParent Scholars in important classes, to taking care of their kiddos at our events, to connecting them with valuable career exploration opportunities, there are so many ways you can get involved with Generation Hope. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gWHTBJuc . . . Image description: A flow chart for people who want to get involved with Generation Hope’s work, but don’t know where to start. It starts by asking, “What are you looking for?” If you want a serious commitment with a long term impact, mentor a Scholar. If you want a flexible way to get involved a few times a year, would you like to volunteer virtually or in-person? If you want to volunteer virtually, tutor a Scholar. If you want to volunteer in-person, be a child care volunteer. And if you’re open to either option, help with our career readiness programming. #NationalVolunteerWeek #NationalVolunteerWeek2024 #NationalVolunteerMonth #VolunteerOpportunities #VolunteerNewOrleans #VolunteerNOLA #NOLAVolunteer #VolunteerDMV

Navigating college life can be challenging, especially when it comes to developing social skills and forming connections. And for neurodivergent students, this may feel like one of the biggest hurdles to jump over on the college journey. At Mansfield Hall, we've discovered that a fantastic way for our neurodivergent students to thrive socially is through personalized, one-on-one guidance. Our secret sauce? Encouraging them to dive into community service! With the right support system, engaging in local college community service becomes a catalyst for growth across all aspects of their social skills. The magic happens when actively participating in giving back and community involvement. It's not just about contributing, but is part of the journey that propels them forward socially, emotionally, and, yes, academically. Sound interesting? Learn more about it here on our blog: https://bit.ly/3RLe2p6

Here is a solution.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Marion County offers a range of activities and programs that cater to the interests and passions of young individuals. This not only helps them discover their talents and skills but also provides a sense of purpose and belonging. By engaging in these activities, individuals feel like they are part of a community and contribute to something bigger than themselves. Furthermore, Boys & Girls Clubs also play a vital role in instilling values such as empathy, kindness, and respect in young individuals. By encouraging them to participate in community service and outreach programs, these clubs emphasize the importance of giving back and being a responsible member of society. This sense of responsibility and contribution to the community further strengthens the sense of belonging within the Club. In conclusion, Boys & Girls Clubs are more than just a recreational organization; they are a community that fosters a sense of belonging and acceptance. By providing a safe and inclusive space for young individuals to connect, learn, and grow, these clubs play a crucial role in shaping the future generation. Let us continue to support and promote such organizations that contribute to the holistic development of our youth.

We are excited to announce our new board of directors! Our board members bring together extensive experience in nonprofit management, planning, and fundraising and in-depth intersectional diversity, and we’d like to introduce you to board member, Jana Luft. ... Jana Luft is a former high school special education teacher and a White mother of two girls from Oakland, California. Through her education career, Jana became aware of the challenge progressive White parents often pose to education equity. She saw how resource hoarding affects our education system and how platitudes fail unless they’re followed up by direct progressive action. Alongside her personal activism, through her career, Jana has worked in education philanthropy, research, and advocacy to support education justice and has helped develop organizational best practices to create a culture in which staff and volunteers feel seen, included, and appreciated as full human beings. ... We are immensely excited to work alongside Jana and for what we can accomplish together at this pivotal stage in our organization! Learn more about each board member on our blog https://buff.ly/48coYTb ... #IntegratedSchools #BlackandWhite #Interracial #Multiracial #Identity #CivilRightsMovement #HumanRights #AntiRacism #DeSegregation #WealthEquity #DiversityandInclusion #inclusion #community #redlining #diversity #socialjustice #socialjusticeeducation #wealthgap #local #publicschools #parenting #parent #momlife #dadlife #boymom #girlmom #schoolchoice #privateschool #publicschool #class #classism

Back in 2018, I first started to think about how we could get textbooks sitting unused in a class cupboard in London shared with a cash-strapped school in Yorkshire. After five years of hard graft, School Resources Exchange properly got going last year. While it has been challenging to say the least, it's also pretty amazing to be starting 2024 with a live service that is already being used by and helping hundreds of schools. The focus for this year is simple - help more schools. What we're doing is a no-brainer. It's a free service which can benefit every single school in the UK. The impact of sharing surplus items between schools is a genuine game-changer on so many levels. If you know someone connected to a school - a staff member, parent, governor, etc - be sure to tell them about us as it really could help them out enormously. 👇 The short video explains exactly what we're doing and how the service - a nationwide schools' circular sharing community - can benefit every single school in the UK. #schools #schoofunding #schoolresources #schoolbudgets #circulareconomy #communityimpact #secondaryeducation #primaryeducation #teachers #headteachers #slt #schoolbusinessmanagers

Did you grow up surrounded by nature? Did you learn about your outdoor environment in school? I grew up learning about different subjects in school but my exposure to the outdoors when I was young was recess. I wouldn’t know or appreciate my outdoor environment until I became an adult, so I was so excited when I found out about Upper Manhattan Forest Kids, founded by Sarita Covington. Sarita was born and raised in Harlem, growing up during the 80’s & 90’s when it was filled with art, music, and activism stemming from the DIY movements throughout her community.  Surrounded by family and friends who were involved in the do-it-yourself culture, it was not surprising that Sarita would be involved in community-focused projects, in art and entrepreneurship. Sarita founded Upper Manhattan Forest Kids, based on the Danish model of learning. Per Sarita, “Seven years ago, Upper Manhattan Forest Kids was created to lead outdoor classes to young children based on the Danish approach to the Forest school. For folks who don’t know what Forest School is, in Denmark they have these schools, and it’s 10% of the school system, that take place outdoors in all kinds of weather, often in a nearby forest. These schools will take place in the rain, in the snow, you can imagine how cold it gets in Denmark, learning in and with nature through all of it.” Sarita was so inspired by the Danish approach to the Forest school that she decided to bring this model of school to NYC. Sarita explains “The work is really grounded in a cultural impetus to make those relationships with nature a part of your everyday learning especially at an early age, so that you’re able to become more of who you are and really, I think it inspires a sense of belonging, and that is all of my work in anti-racism. So we brought it to the city, and I’ve been doing that in city parks for the past 7 years”. Her goal for Upper Manhattan Forest Kids? Per Sarita, “One thing that I would really love to see happen is to have cities all over the United States, and on the Western hemisphere, utilize an outdoor approach to their education, in every aspect of their day, more than 20-30 minutes of recess, to really interweave outdoors and the practical connection with the planet to everything that you’re doing, making things very local and making things very much in tandem with the place that you’re in, placed-based learning”. Would you like to know more about Sarita Covington and Upper Manhattan Forest Kids and how this model of learning could enhance the way children learn?  Click below for more information. What do you think of Upper Manhattan Forest Kids? Do you know of families who might want to know more about this type of learning? I would be interested in having a conversation about your thoughts on this. I encourage you to leave your thoughts on this in the comment section.

always with vision and wisdom, Maheen Kaleem

Exciting updates on the Obama Presidential Center!