education
Citizen Schools taking action
I just received these two notices from Citizen Schools. This is a great organization that is currently second in the running for education ideas at Change.org. If they make it into the top ten overall, their program will be reviewed by the new presidential cabinet as a way to improve our educational system. You can read about how I participated in their last WOW! event and you can vote for them here.
They are also hosting a great event on MLK Day that I am signing up for.
Celebrate Martin Luther King jr Day by interacting with our youth, our future.
Come together with Citizen Schools, our students, and dozens of volunteers from across Boston to celebrate service and mentor young people as they make their own declarations of service to others.
When: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday January 19, 2009
12:00-4:00pm
Where: Citizen Schools Headquarters, 308 Congress Street, Boston, MA
In the Childrens’ Museum building
Keynote Speaker: Robert Louis Jr., Vice President, The Boston Foundation
What to expect:
Martin Luther King Jr. left a profound legacy of service to our country. On the eve of his own Presidential service to America, Barack Obama has called each of us to service too. In celebration of this historic time, we want to help young people think about the importance of service and how they can do their part to serve their communities. We’re hoping you’ll join in the fun!
We invite you to spend the afternoon with 80 students and alumni of our program to share ideas, hopes, experiences, and knowledge that celebrate service. After an introductory lunch, games, and kick-off speech, we’ll pair you with a student and you’ll work 1-on-1to mentor your future leader in developing his or her own understanding of service. You’ll help your student write a letter to President-elect Obama, outlining his or her hopes and dreams for the country that culminates in a personal declaration of service stating how he or she plans to serve the community.
The historic election of President-elect Barack Obama has inspired thousands of young people in Boston to understand the needs of their country and serve them. You can help these young people harness their enthusiasm by celebrating service – not just for one day, but for a lifetime. So join us on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to share your afternoon with our nation’s youth, and help them shape America’s service agenda.
Please arrive by 12:00 PM. Dress is casual. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, contact Daniel Rosen at danielrosen@citizenschools.org, 617-695-2300 ext. 150.
Citizen Schools; exposing middle school kids to professional opportunities
Last night I had the honor of serving as a judge at the annual Citizen Schools Design & Development WOW! presentations. Citizen Schools is a local non profit that works with middle school kids. The Design and Development Apprenticeship is an urban planning ideas competition – and we at D2E love ideas! This event engages more than 100 youth from middle schools throughout Boston. For 10 weeks each fall, the students collaborate with volunteer architecture and development professionals and Citizen Schools staff to re-envision Boston’s built environment and public open spaces, developing plans and models for projects in different city neighborhoods.
This student from the McCormack school impressed us with his innovative ideas, his spiffy suit and his articulate presentation. Well done!
The Edison Middle School tackled the problems with City Hall!
It was inspiring to hear these students ideas. And it was great to also meet some of the graduates from previous years that are now in college. This really is what it’s all about. Kids have to be exposed to options in order to understand that there are opportunities.
According to John Werner, the enthusiastic leader of Citizen Schools, “This program works. Our combination of rigorous academic support and engaging apprenticeships is producing a generation of eager and invested learners. Citizen teachers are sharing their expertise and kids are listening. Our students are outperforming a comparison group of public middle school students on 6 of 7 key indicators, including MCAS scores, attendance, suspension rates and on time promotion to 10th grade, a critical indicator of HS graduation rates. As well, graduate of our 8th grade academy program are graduating from HS and attending college at nearly twice the rates of their BPS peers.”
I was really tired on this Monday and at 4pm I was dreading the commitment I made to be a judge. Those feelings faded as soon as I arrived and saw all the great work being done. I was energized and excited to be a part of this great effort. And a big “Thank you” goes out to all of the local businesses that stepped up to the plate and brought the students into their offices. This was a big time commitment and a great investment in the future of Boston. We at D2E applaud you!
Participating Apprenticeships:
Payette Associates: McCormack Middle School
Cubellis: Edwards Middle School
Goody Clancy: Irving Middle School
Harvard Graduate School of Design: 8th Grade Academy
ICON Architecture, Inc: Rogers Middle school
Paul Lukez Architecture: Mario Umana Middle School Academy
Shepley Bulfinch: Gavin Middle School
Jones Lang LaSalle: Edison Middle School
Altitude, Inc.: McCormack Middle School
Below are a bunch of photos to enjoy.
Students are making plans for a bike and pedestrian path to help improve and reinvigorate the Columbia Point neighborhood.
Jones Lang LaSalle even went to the extent of teaching the kids about budgeting. I could have used a few of these lessons!
To the tune of Rocky, the students marched up to the podium to collect their awards.
Ernest Pough, a graduate of Citizen Schools and current Freshman at Union College was one of my fellow judges. He passed out our awards to the teams.
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