Kristi Spence, MS, RDN’s Post

Grateful to United Way of Delaware, Michelle A. Taylor, Ed.D., and Ken Livingston for exposing our Young Men United (YMU) participants to college life and helping them unlock their potential. Thank you for your dedication and support! 🙏🏾S/o to the partners/ universities that make things happen Big Brother Big Sisters of Delaware, Goldey-Beacom College and Morgan State University #Education 🧑🏾Our boys are not broken-- the systems are. 🛠 United Way National Young Men United (YMU) Initiative proposes to support local United Ways and young men of color in the United States over the next several years to increase their post-secondary attainment and workforce preparedness. Our shared objectives are to bolster the school to work pipeline in the United States by ensuring that young men of color who participate in this initiative realize their full leadership potential - as successful college graduates who are prepared to enter the workforce, and to be engaged in their communities. It is also to engage partners and donors to support the work of United Way related to closing critical gaps in education, the workforce, and addressing other inequities.  📺: https://lnkd.in/eXf8VnUG

If You’re Black or Brown and thinking of going to college, You Still Have Options. Excerpt from: 𝐈𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐨w❓𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐 from Coalition4Justice "For some students, earning a four-year degree is deemed a rite of passage. But for many, it is considered a privilege and out of reach. Whether you're the first in your family or one of a long line, applying to college can be daunting. While it’s true that some careers require a bachelor’s or graduate degree, there are enumerable good, well-paying career choices that can be had with a two-year associate degree, a certificate program, or a training program or apprenticeship in the skilled trades." 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. Ask them about the pros and cons of their field. Inquire about volunteering or shadowing them at work. Can you see yourself enjoying doing their job? (𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌.) 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐇𝐁𝐂𝐔𝐬.)  Their reputation of academic excellence, dedicated faculty, a welcoming environment and peer group, and financial affordability are strong incentives. https://lnkd.in/erKVzZ47 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖��𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭: https://lnkd.in/eFBGd2MK Watch for my next post. #affirmativeaction #hbcuexcellence #collegeadmissions #volunteering #mentorship

Picture this: my first job out of the gate was at the Nelson Mandela Institute for Rural School. Fresh off my stint as the first female President of the SRC at Fort Hare University, I was ready to dive into the world of innovative thinking with this stellar team. And oh, what a ride it was! Now, let me take you back to one unforgettable adventure. We were on a mission to visit schools in the rural heartland, and boy, did we encounter some wild scenes. Deep in the forests of Mqanduli, we stumbled upon a school that was, well, more of a jungle gym than an actual building. Prefab structures were the name of the game, but this particular one had a surprise in store: asbestos. Yes, you heard that right – the stuff of nightmares straight out of an Erin Brockovich flick. But wait, it gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective). As we cautiously ventured into the classrooms, we learned that the real danger wasn't just the asbestos – it was the snakes. Apparently, these slithery friends liked to cozy up in the insulation when things got toasty in the afternoons. Needless to say, our interviews were cut short as we high-tailed it out of there faster than you can say "snake charmer." Jokes aside, that experience sparked a fire in me to question the very foundation of our education system. Are we really equipping our kids with the tools they need to conquer the world? Are we making the most of our resources to ensure meaningful learning experiences? These are the questions that keep me up at night – and I'm betting I'm not alone. So, where are the leaders with the big ideas? Who's ready to shake things up and ensure that every child has access to quality education? The clock is ticking, and it's high time we start hearing some answers. Are you with me? 🔥 #BTWYRU #Voting #education #EducationRevolution #InnovativeLeadership #SnakesInSchools

Take a look at the information below to see who I've found! These are some familiar faces from our UNB Saint John MBA Program. 😉 #UNB #SaintJohn #MBA #Students #opportunities #Community #Powerourfuture

Arts-based education does more than teach kids to paint 🎨. It also helps young people develop some of the essential creative, interpersonal, and self-reflective skills that they need to thrive! Scroll through our post to learn more about arts-based education, and why we think it's such a crucial thing for young folks facing structural barriers. Stay tuned for next week! - The Thrive Team

It's Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week (APAW)! 💡 Did you know...  ➡ An estimated 7.8 million young people participate in afterschool programs yearly in the U.S.  ➡ Over 850,000 highly skilled and valuable afterschool professionals work with young people during out-of-school time (OST).  ➡ Research shows that afterschool professionals are the key to program quality that mitigates risk factors and positively impacts youth outcomes.  ➡ Afterschool programs run by skilled professionals result in increased social and emotional skills, school attendance, and academic performance. Recognizing afterschool professionals isn't just about acknowledging their hard work; it's also about supporting their ongoing growth and development. Providing access to professional development opportunities, such as those offered by the Forum’s Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, is crucial for enhancing skills and effectiveness in working with young people. For more information on APAW and how to show your appreciation from the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), visit: https://lnkd.in/gXhr8pkM #HeartOfAfterschool #OSTProfessionals  

PREPARE SOCIETY In Howe and Strauss's book, The Fourth Turning, they believed that our society would need to establish norms that would help us weather the coming economic storm better together. Again and again they suggest that our largest problems can and should be addressed locally. Some excerpts from their book include: "Require community teamwork to solve local problems, but don’t try this on a national scale." - Come the 4th Turning, America will require a level of teamwork and self-sacrifice far higher than we now provide (or can even remember). We must battle against civic dysfunction wherever it appears. Expect compulsory youth service to be coming. - Work with both right and left to develop a youth civic apprenticeship. - Among all citizens we need to reinvent good citizenship at the local level. - Communities should improve their own functions (schools, housing, transportation, safety, justice, social services) with their own resources without expecting it from someone else. - Towns should create public spaces to hold meetings and expect citizens to attend. - Encourage ethnic, racial, religious integration and discourage group silos or niching. - In the Crisis, national survival could depend on how well people of diverse backgrounds succeed in forging a new sense of civic community. I hope each of you have a great rest of your week! Dan #courage #courageousleadership #courageousconversations #leadership #smallbusiness #communitybanks #smallfarmers #entrepreneur #community

The CORE Mentorship program at #UofG is lighting the path for Black and racialized students by pairing them with Black or racialized alumni, staff, and faculty members, promoting community building, academic success, and career readiness. Read more about the CORE Mentorship program here: https://bit.ly/3UvadYd

It's an exciting time to be in the education industry now that schools are FINALLY addressing the ROI of education by incorporating CAREER EXPLORATION and PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT into their core classes and programs. If students don't see a viable roadmap for themselves, feel able to achieve bigger opportunities in life, let alone equity, many question WHY bother with advanced education. Exploring Your Potential (EYP) is proud to work with schools that prioritize whole student development. Like @LanderUniversity. 50%+ don't have a plan. But with EYP 90+% do. Here @HalleMichael one of our favorite recent students beautifully articulates how this focused training layer helped her build resilience, longer term goals, social support, leadership and materialize her entrepreneurial aspirations. "EYP encourages you to grow outward, by looking inward." If you know or work with a school that could use support in building confidence, clarity, focus, and direction with their students, please get in touch! #LanderUniversity #workforcereadiness #highered #AACSB #undergradbizschool #businesseducation #studentoutcomes #economicequity

More good news from #UToledo!