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In August, the 9th Cohort of the Art of Leadership convened for their first two sessions. During the first meeting, the leaders enjoyed learning about each other, reviewed program goals, community expectations, and discussed the definition of leadership. The group enjoyed team building activities, dinner, and casual conversation. A unanimous highlight of the first session was hearing from our guest speaker, CJ Gross. CJ is an author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of Ascension Worldwide, Students were able to talk with CJ about his book, What's Your Zip Code Story? and asked him important and interesting questions about class bias and racial disparity. CJ encouraged students to leave their comfort zone (and their zip codes) and learn about different people, places and cultures.
During the second session, students experienced a bus tour through Baltimore to better understand how concepts of race and class shaped the history of the city, still define current issues and disparities, and how as leaders they can learn from the past to help change the course of the future.
Mia and Sache Jones guided the tour through north, west, and south Baltimore. Stops were made at Restoration Gardens, New Song Academy, and the University of Maryland Medical Center to see some of Art with a Heart's public art installations in the various communities. Upon return to Art with a Heart, the leaders enjoyed dinner and informal conversations. After dinner, a facilitated activity lead to an impactful discussion and reflections by the students who shared personal experiences with class and race. The leaders did an excellent job building empathy and community trust, and appreciating diverse perspectives.
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