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Dear MBK Community Friends and Supporters,
In February, NYSED hosted the My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Fellows at our Stand and Deliver Speaker Showcase, followed by an MBK Community Network panel sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubrey at the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus Weekend. Our young people were outstanding by any standard of excellence. In fact, four words can best describe what our young people can do when they are given the right kind of support and opportunities: Brilliant and Asset Rich! Our young people are brilliant as evidenced by what they can do when we support them, and they have talents, skills, and abilities (assets) that when harnessed properly allow them to excel in whatever they put their mind to. Know that it is the hard work of parents, teachers, schools, community leaders, and community-based organizations working together that gives our students in MBK, and all students, the best shot at reaching their highest potential.
Below are some of the pictures from the Caucus Weekend event.
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This edition of "Changing the Narrative" includes information about the following:
- Spring MBK Symposium
- Newly released booklet highlighting the history of MBK in New York State
- Call for applications for the Empire State Arts Scholarship Program
- Highlights from the MBK Fellows Stand and Deliver Speaker Showcase
- Spotlights on some of the great MBK programs across the state
If your school or community would like to share a story with us, please email photos and news items to NYSMBK@nysed.gov.
Similarly, if you are hosting an upcoming event, please let us know. We will add it to our calendar and help you get the word out!
Don't forget to follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and tag us in your posts so we can follow you and share your success stories. Be sure to use the hashtag #NYSMBK!
Finally, if you know someone who might be interested in our MBK updates, be sure they know how to subscribe to our mailing list. Thank you for helping us spread the word!
Your Partner in Education,
Anael Alston, Ed.D.
Assistant Commissioner
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Save the Date! The 2024 New York State My Brother's Keeper Symposium is scheduled for May 30, 2024. | |
On a Path to Educational Equity: The Story of MBK in New York State | |
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The New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) are proud to announce the publication of On a Path to Educational Equity: The Story of MBK in New York State. The booklet, which was presented at the February 2024 Board of Regents meeting, documents the development of the MBK initiative, from its establishment at the national level to its adoption and steady growth in New York State.
To view the publication in its entirety, please visit the MBK website.
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2024 Empire State Arts Scholarship Program | |
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Applications are currently being accepted for the Empire State Arts Scholarship program, providing students with scholarships to attend summer arts programs in their own communities. Administered by NYSED's Office of Cultural Education, the funding will support the Empire State Summer Arts Scholarship Program’s goal of promoting access and equity to arts education by providing need-based grants to low-income students who want to pursue summer growth opportunities. This year, $180,000 is available for students who meet application requirements. The scholarship application review process will be evaluated based on financial need. Applications are due by Friday, April 19, 2024. More information can be found on the Arts Scholarship Program web page.
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New York State My Brother's Keeper Fellows Program | |
The purpose of the MBK Fellows Grant is to provide rising 12th grade high school students, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color, with opportunities to gain authentic leadership experience(s) and develop service projects beneficial to the schools they attend and the communities they live in. | |
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On February 16, the NYSED hosted its Annual Stand and Deliver: My Brother’s Keeper Fellows Leadership Workshop and Speaker Showcase in Albany. Two hundred people from 32 MBK Communities across New York State were in attendance. Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr., NYSED Assistant Commissioner Anael Alston, Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt, and keynote speaker Brad Butler II poured inspiration and wisdom into the MBK Fellows and their mentors.
Sixty of the 75 MBK Fellows in attendance shared their 90-second TED-style talks on “Living and Learning: My MBK Story.” The audience responded enthusiastically and with pride and emotion to their powerful and moving stories.
The entire group had the privilege and opportunity to visit The Moral Arc Toward Freedom: Lincoln, King, and the Emancipation Proclamation exhibit in the Cultural Education Center’s Huxley Theater. This exhibit brings together two remarkable documents: Abraham Lincoln’s 1862 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation written in his own hand and select pages from a speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered in New York City on the 100th anniversary of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Stand and Deliver once again strengthened the bonds among an already very connected statewide MBK Community Network.
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Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II) | |
The purpose of TOC II is to increase the rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers. TOC II programs incorporate strategies for teacher retention and best practice, such as mentors for new teachers and differentiated instructional techniques. | |
Pace University Teachers for Change Conference | |
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On March 9, Pace University’s TOC II program hosted its Second Annual Teachers For Change Conference. The topic of the conference was “Courageous Conversations for Novice Teachers: Finding Your Voice." Novice teachers must believe that their voices will be represented and valued in conversations related to equity and racial achievement disparities.
TOC II students, Pace faculty, and guests heard from an inspiring keynote speaker, Dr. Bettye Perkins, CEO of Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Teachers. Experienced and prominent leaders and educators, such as Dr. Glyne Griffith, Dr. Tasha Darbes, Dr. Oumar Sarr, Tabari Zaid Bomani, Caitlin Ocasio, and Liza Andrade, shared their experiences regarding having courageous conversations. Participants left the conference feeling inspired and empowered to find their voices as educators.
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New York State My Brother's Keeper Community Network | |
The New York State My Brother's Keeper Community Network includes more than 30 member communities that have joined the growing initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. To join the NYS MBK Community Network, the school superintendent and local government official must sign a joint letter to the Commissioner of Education indicating their support of and commitment to meeting the six MBK National Milestones and the six New York State MBK Goals. Detailed instructions for becoming a New York State MBK Community can be found here. Upon becoming a member of the statewide network, a community gains the support of NYSED's Office of Access, Equity, and Community Engagement Services to help build a community initiative and develop a local MBK action plan. | |
On February 5, NYSED Assistant Commissioner Anael Alston visited the Uniondale MBK Community Steering Committee to talk to students, teachers, principals, community leaders, and elected officials about the power of MBK Communities to improve outcomes for all young men of color when their work is aligned to the National and NYSED MBK milestones. Dr. Alston reminded Uniondale’s MBK Community that My Brother's Keeper is an outcomes-based initiative and challenged them to continue to promote youth leadership and stakeholder voice in all community planning efforts. The Uniondale My Brother's Keeper Community is working on Milestone 2: Reading at Grade Level by 3rd Grade; Milestone 3: Graduate from High School; Milestone 4: Complete Post-secondary Education or Training; and Milestone 6: All Youth Remain Safe From Violent Crime. | |
Find out more about New York State's My Brother's Keeper initiative by visiting our MBK website. | |
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If your school or community would like to share a story to include in a future edition of this newsletter, please email photos and news items to NYSMBK@nysed.gov.
Don't forget to follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and tag us in your posts so we can follow you and share your success stories. Be sure to use the #NYSMBK hashtag!
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