James joins the ROC the Future team as a Data Analysis Specialist. Prior to joining ROC the Future, James served as a Research Analyst with Children’s Institute and served the community in various capacities including as an Assistant Professor within the SUNY system for fifteen years, a practicing attorney specializing in representing juveniles as an Attorney for the Child in the New York State Family Court, and serving four years as an AmeriCorps fellow serving in various positions supporting the educational and social emotional needs of students in the Rochester City School District.

While a faculty member at both Buffalo State College and the College at Brockport he taught in the department of Criminal Justice and while at Brockport, he was a faculty member in the Department of Public Administration.

While serving as a fellow in the AmeriCorps national service program, James supported the learning and social emotional needs of students as a behavioral intervention specialist at both Leadership Academy for Young Men and Vanguard Collegiate high schools in the Rochester City School District.

On Saturday, February 26, the Young Children’s Wellness Council (YCWC) hosted a parent expo and resource fair to provide parents with information to ensure their child’s success. There were close to 20 resource tables available for parents to peruse. Organizations included RCSD PreK, Foodlink, Baby Safe Sleep Coalition, HealthiKids Coalition, the Crisis Nursery, Whole Child Connection, Get Ready to GROW, RAPP, The Norman Howard School, Encompass, Fidelis, Rochester Regional Health, Mt. Hope Family Center, AmeriCorps, and many more.

ROC the Future Alliance was on hand with our PECAN co-chair, Maurice Haskins, to collect information from parents to help inform our Wildly Important Goal. Parents indicated the following needs: What my school needs - mental health support, tutoring, more involvement between parents and teachers, social emotional learning, more father input; What my neighborhood needs - securer parks, better maintenance, more protection; What my child needs – speech therapy, behavior health, more hands-on time; What my family needs – more time to spend together, consistent contact with children, teachers and counselors, after work availability meetings with teachers.

We are holding our first Collective Impact Youth Summit on Saturday, March 12, 2022, from 10am – 2pm at the Rochester Museum & Science Center. An essential key to the success of every child is their emotional, physical, and mental health. Through this vision and in collaboration with our partners, we are hosting the first annual summit for 50 Monroe County youth leaders.

This summit is an opportunity for youth to:

Read the results of a countywide survey of 400 Monroe County parents about issues their children and families are facing and solutions they support. This work aligns with our Wildly Important Goal and was led by The Children's Agenda.

Making it Possible is StriveTogether's newly combined newsletter. It takes the place of Five Things to Know and Learning News, turning them into one monthly digest with Network updates, stories, resources and more. This month, they are excited to share the new StriveTogether Theory of Action™ booklet, as well as stories of progress through the theory of action as network members work to stabilize and improve outcomes.