There are so many inspiring initiatives in community engagement work, but it’s the programs benefiting youth that have some of the greatest potential to make a difference—for young people and for our communities.
On February 23, I attended the Students of Promise Teen Summit. More than 137 teens from 16 area schools came together to celebrate Black History Month and to engage in discussions and learning about history and leadership. The event was a tremendous success because it gave young people the opportunity to collaborate with one another on how to become the next generation of change makers.
At Case Western Reserve, we offer several programs across the university designed to engage, enrich and educate local K-12 students. Among the oldest, most established programs are our federal TRIO programs—TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Talent Search. These programs provide support to Cleveland and East Cleveland students in grades 6-12 to help them succeed through their secondary education and to prepare them for the possibility of pursuing a two- or four-year degree. All TRIO students come from low-income households and would be first generation college students.
In this issue, you’ll learn more about both of these programs, as well as our TRIO program director Erica Calderon, our TRIO partner school Collinwood High School and a CWRU student TRIO tutor Rufus Black. You’ll also get to know one of our Neighborhood Advisory Council members, Sonya Shakir.
As always, I welcome your feedback on our community engagement work and please be sure to check out our list of March events at the end of this newsletter. I look forward to seeing you around campus and in our communities.
Julian Rogers
Assistant Vice President, Local Government and Community Relations