Baton Rouge Youth Coalition

BRYC House Anniversary

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:34:54 +0000

This week, BRYC is celebrating one year in our BRYC House (made of wood)! Thank you to all of our supporters, Mentors, parents, and Fellows who have truly made this house into our home. We look forward to being here for many years to come.

Better Baton Rouge – YOUth World Workshop

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:49:57 +0000

Anna Penido from Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative collaborated with BRYC to bring her You^th World Workshop to Baton Rouge. The You^th World Workshop engages young people in in-depth conversations about how their roles in reducing inequalities in their cities and how adults can enable them and collaborate with them in this effort. This past summer, Anna traveled to cities in Bangladesh, France, Mexico and South Africa to train facilitators and launch her original project.

In October, Anna came to Baton Rouge and over the four-day workshop, five BRYC Fellows produced their own original video based on their stories and observations of our city and its relationship with young people from all backgrounds. The angles students took and the issues they raised were entirely their own and emerged from workshop conversations.

Pastor Raymond Jetson of Star Hill Baptist Church spent last year at Harvard University in their Advanced Leadership Initiative. There he convinced a number of his colleagues that Baton Rouge is a city both in need of their attention and ready for transformation. Last November, his colleagues convened here and the Better Baton Rouge Initiative was born. During the Better Baton Rouge Leadership Fellows Retreat held on November 4th, BRYC Fellows launched the “Youth Cluster” of Better Baton Rouge and released this short video: BRYC Fellows: How Young People Can Transform Our City.

Thank you, Pastor Jetson, for your sponsorship of this invaluable project and believing in our youth. Our hope is that this video will bring young people into the Better Baton Rouge movement through the newly created Youth-Adult Alliance and serve as a catalyst for wider changes our city needs.

Parent Committee

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:48:16 +0000

Thanks to the efforts of BRYC’s Youth and Family Advocate, Darlene Shaffer, our Parent Committee has made tremendous strides this year. Parents continue to support BRYC Fellows for all of our meals and have successfully solicited donations from Whole Foods, Coca-Cola, Buffalo Wild Wings, Piggly Wiggly, and Walgreens. Special thanks to parents April Hawthorne and Joyce Rogers for all of your efforts on this front.

In early October, BRYC’s parent-led raffle fundraiser raised more than $2,500 to support BRYC programs. Parents are already planning their second fundraiser, a chocolate sale, for December. A special thank you to parent Sheri Dotch for leading the charge on BRYC fundraising.

BRYC’s New Chief Academic and Program Officer

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:46:13 +0000

We are thrilled to share with you the arrival of BRYC’s first Chief Academic and Program Officer. Will Minton joined our staff this summer and brings tremendous knowledge and experience to BRYC. Originally from the Pittsburgh region, Will arrived in Baton Rouge in fall of 2008 after teaching middle school math for two years in the South Bronx with Teach for America (TFA).

After serving as Policy Analyst at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) for two years, Will joined the Big Buddy Program’s senior staff as the Arts and Leadership Institute Manager in 2010. In this capacity Will oversaw WordPlay Teen Writing Project and Teens as Leaders. Given his experiences, determination, commitment to high expectations, and proven ability to coordinate large-scale programs, and develop relationships with students, Teach for America and community partners, Will is a tremendous asset to BRYC and will help ensure our growth for years to come.

Parent Spotlight

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:44:08 +0000

April Hawthorne is the mother of BRYC Fellow, Ke’Gan Taylor. She is the Legislative Assistant for Louisiana State Senator Sharon Weston Broome. She has assisted BRYC in securing donations from Whole Foods, Buffalo Wild Wings and other vendors. In her free time, April enjoys reading the Bible, current events, history, philosophy, and non-fiction. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, running marathons, traveling to national parks and shopping.

Quote: “As a single parent, it is my responsibility to train Ke’Gan up in the way she should go, but the support of the BRYC leadership and staff makes my job a lot lighter. I support BRYC because it mentors and prepares students for college success. BRYC also challenges Ke’Gan to be a critical thinker, problem-solver, and leader of the future. I am a proud parent of BRYC!”

Fellow Spotlight

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:42:23 +0000

Elizabeth Cheri is a senior at Parkview Baptist High School and currently serves as the vice president of her senior class and Spanish Club. She currently works the concession stand at Parkview Baptist Church and regularly volunteers at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, hanging out with her friends and family, and reading books by her favorite author, Nicholas Sparks. Elizabeth was recently honored by Governor Bobby Jindal and awarded a scholarship from the Baton Rouge State Fair.

Quote: “BRYC has been very instrumental in helping me to become a better student and helping me to achieve things that I never could on my own.”

Atlanta College Tour

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:40:08 +0000

From October 14-17, 25 upperclassmen Fellows toured seven colleges across the Southeast: University of Alabama-Birmingham, Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark-Atlanta University, Emory University, and Auburn University. Staying on Georgia Tech and Auburn’s campuses for those three nights and visiting classes by day, Fellows gained valuable insight into what kind of atmosphere they desire in college. We even had BRYC alums leading the tours of Morehouse and Spelman, and giving the “real deal” versions of college life on their campuses.

In addition to collegiate activities, Fellows experienced downtown Atlanta, dinner and a laser show at Stone Mountain Park, and watched the live dedication of Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial in Washington, D.C. from his gravesite at the MLK Historic Center in Atlanta.

BRYC Retreat – Youth Government

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:17:49 +0000

In September, nearly 50 Fellows and staff bonded over a weekend retreat at the Feliciana Retreat Center. From Friday to Sunday, Fellows swam and canoed, shared life stories, completed a challenge course and trust falls, and stayed up after midnight writing the BRYC Constitution! Now, with eight elected BRYC student-leaders, BRYC’s youth government meets weekly to plan program, advocate for student needs, and build an increasingly youth-led culture in BRYC. BRYC officially launched its 2011-2012 after school program on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. More than 100 participants—Fellows, families, and mentors—came to Orientation at Mentorship Academy in downtown Baton Rouge. This year, due to BRYC’s ongoing expansion, we have partnered with Mentorship Academy and are holding our program on the downtown campus. BRYC Fellows meet at Mentorship (M-Th evenings) for ACT class and Leadership Team program.

Transforming Our City

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:23:03 +0000

And we’re off!

admin — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:49:54 +0000

BRYC officially launched its 2011-2012 afterschool program on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. More than 100 participants—Fellows, families, and mentors—came to Orientation at Mentorship Academy in downtown Baton Rouge.

Mentors learn about program expectations.

This year, due to BRYC’s ongoing expansion, we have partnered with Mentorship Academy and will hold our program on the downtown campus. Starting this week, we will be at Mentorship (M-Th evenings) for ACT class and Leadership Team program.

Stay tuned! More details and updates will be coming soon!