ESI Update
Week of May 5
Principals and ESI Team Members,
This week, ESI hosted a Young Men’s Gathering at MISTHarlem to view the documentary The Central Park Five. Approximately 170 students from 12 schools participated. After the screening, the young men gathered to discuss the issues it raised–perceptions about youth and race, systemic racism and bias–as well as to think about what can be done to address some of those problems. The event was an opportunity for young men from ESI schools to gather and build community but also to learn from one another.
As we in the larger ESI community share our learning and planning for next year–considering the challenges our students face and what programs and practices to continue at the school level in order to address them–ESI would like to recognize School Time Lab. School Time Lab (STL) is a program being implemented by the Office of Postsecondary Readiness (OPSR) that examines how schools use the fundamental resource of time to provide opportunities for all students to enroll in the higher-level coursework and developmental experiences necessary for college and career. The interlocking pieces – of finding time, determining how to best use the time, and supporting teachers within that structure – all work together to impact student performance. To that end, we invite schools to look at the report Minute by Minute: School Strategies for Optimizing Time, which describes key themes, trade-offs and strategies around use of school time, and provides individual case studies on ten model schools. (Congrats to ESI schools Manhattan Bridges HS and Channel View School for Research for being recognized as model schools and thanks to the ESI schools that participated in STL: East Bronx Academy, Queens Vocational and Technical High School, George Washington Carver High School, and Gregorio Luperon High School.) A Reader’s Guide is included at the end to help navigate the report and apply lessons learned.
In this issue you will find the following features:
- News and Updates: Summer Plans and Year Three Workplans, @ESINYC!
- Opportunities: Bottom Line, Youth Empowerment Day, R2L NextGen Program!
- School Spotlight: Channel View School for Research!
- Resources: Facing Race Issues in the Classroom: How to Connect with Students
- Inside ESI Schools: Hallways and collages at East Bronx Academy!
- Shout Outs: 12 schools in attendance for The Central Park Five screening!
News and Updates
*This feature is intended to keep you up-to-date on what’s happening in ESI.
ESI Summer Workplan and Year Three Workplan Due Dates
Summer Plan and Year Three Workplan templates are located here on the ESI Wiki. The deadline for Summer Plans was May 9. A reminder that School Year Plans and Budgets are due by June 2. For further questions, please contact Paul Forbes at PForbes@schools.nyc.gov.
@ESINYC
Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on opportunities and announcements. Click the link at the bottom of the Update or search @ESINYC and click follow to stay engaged!
Opportunities
For Students
Bottom Line
ESI is partnering with Bottom Line to support outgoing high school seniors as they transition to college. We are looking for male students who will be attending college in New York State (click here for a full list of target colleges). Our goal is to receive at least 20 applications across the ESI network.
Bottom Line is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged students get in to college, graduate from college, and go far in life. They achieve this mission by providing low-income and first-generation students with one-on-one guidance through the application process and during college.
Through their Success Program, students receive personalized guidance for up to 6 years or until they earn their degrees. Bottom Line helps college students:
- Transition to campus
- Pick classes
- Select a major
- Find jobs and internships
- Maintain their financial aid
- Solve problems and stay enrolled!
Interested students can find out more here, and also click here to apply. ESI schools are encouraged to apply by May 15.
Youth Empowerment Day
Municipal Credit Union (MCU), along with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), WBLS Radio, and Hot 97, present the 3rd Annual Youth Empowerment Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at UFT’s headquarters in Manhattan.
We encourage students from ESI schools to participate in this event which is designed to provide students with the opportunity to network with their peers and connect with various speakers and guests who have found success in different walks of life. The event will feature ESI Director Paul Forbes as one of the featured speakers.
For more information and to register, click here.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s R2L NextGen Program
9th, 10th and 11th grade students are urged to apply to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) R2L NextGen program. CHCI will bring approximately 40 Latino high school students to D.C. to spend six days learning about how the Federal Government works, meeting key leaders, visiting historic sites, and developing a deeper understanding of how they can effect positive change in their communities and their nation. The program, which will take placeJuly 27 – August 1, 2014, is completely FREE of charge to all selected student participants.
To be eligible, students must:
· Be in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade at the time of application
· Demonstrate interest in learning more about civic engagement
The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, May 27 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Students can apply by visiting apply.chci.org. Please note that students must complete both a profile AND an application. Students must log back in to verify their email address in order to get started on the application.
For further questions, contact Evelyn Garcia Morales, Manager of Educational Enrichment Programs, at egarciamorales@chci.org.
2014 NYPD Summer Youth Academy
The New York City Police Department seeks to provide innovative and effective programs for the City’s young people. The Community Affairs Bureau’s, Youth Police Academy, is such a program. It is designed to establish a positive relationship between the Police Department and the City’s youth.
New York City residents, attending school, between the ages of 10 and 16 are eligible to attend. The Youth Police Academy will provide those participating in the program with lunch and uniform shirts.
The goals of the academy are:
- To enhance responsible citizenship.
- To provide positive interaction with police officers and to educate young people about the challenges and responsibility of police work.
- To encourage young people to take part in other youth programs offered by the Police Department such as: the Law Enforcement Explorers, Police Cadet Corps and the Police Athletic League.
The 2014 Youth Police Academy is a six week program that will hold sessions five days a week. The Academy opens at 8:30 a.m. and dismissal is at 2:00 p.m. Students will attend classroom sessions with lectures, role-plays, and topical demonstrations by police officers in the areas of law, behavioral science, drug prevention, and gang resistance. Field trips are also part of the curriculum. Transportation to and from the field trips will be provided. Each site is accessible by public transportation.
The Academy runs from Monday, July 7th to Friday, August 15th.
To download the application, click here. For more information, click here.
All applications are must be received by June 27, 2014. Completed applications must be mailed to:
N.Y.P.D. Youth Services Section
YPA 2014
189 Montague Street
Brooklyn NY 11201
Youth Engaged 4 Change Competition
Can you think of a time when you were eager to make a difference? How did you turn your passion into action? Share your advice with other youth and young adults who want to make a difference and are figuring out where to start. Your experience can motivate others to take action.
· Did you develop a plan?
· Did you develop a new way to get others involved in your cause?
· Did you discover a way to stay focused, even when change was slow?
Submit your own original poster or photo(s) that share the advice you would offer friends, classmates, and teens around the nation who want to make a difference in the lives of others. Your artwork will be featured on
Youth Engaged 4 Change (YE4C), a site for young people interested in personal, local, and national change efforts.
Submissions should be creative and give your peers real ideas about how they can take action to make things better for those around them. Submissions are being accepted until May 11, 2014, 11:59PM EST.
The first, second, and third place winners will have their artwork posted on YE4C and will receive the following prizes:
· First Place: $500
· Second Place: $250
· Third Place: $100
For more information, click here. To submit an entry, click here.
