The story goes that there was a young man walking along in Milwaukee; and pacing down Lisbon he observed students feeling disappear, so him and a few friends decided to start a campaign, “I Will Not Die Young.” As he put the inspiration back into the students… there were nay-sayers, asking “Why are you educating those kids?!” He replied, “Because they are purpose driven and have more fight to survive than their environment tells them— if I don’t get to them, they will die.” The nay-sayers said, “Young man, don’t you realize there are hundreds of kids on Lisbon?! You can’t possibly save them all; You can’t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you worked all day, your efforts won’t make any difference at all…” The young man saw a young boy walking along the street screaming at the top of his lungs, “Hey, Kwabena! I Will Not Die Young Guy.” The young man inwardly chuckled and turned to the nay-sayers and said, “I made a difference to that one.” #TTYG #Turning45

Starting the Leadership 101 sessions, without question, Kwabena Antoine Nixon inquired and obliged much needed time to 26 students from blended educational backgrounds. Sharing his life story, Nixon became the griot, sharing his beginnings on the Westside of Chicago, known as 80s gangland capital. His realities catalyzed disclosure among students, anywhere else would be strangers. As Nixon shared his voice, students found the courage to share their own:

“Truth is I want to apologize to myself,” Female, age 16

“The hardest part of life is being someone else, because it takes away what you could have done,” Male, age 17

“I want to be someone important when I grow up,” Male, age 13

Conditioning the students to know themselves, Nixon shared, “If you don’t live on purpose, your life will be an accident…Believe in your assets over your liabilities.”

After the two and a half session, Nixon surprised five transparent students with a copy of his book “Eye Write What Eye See.” Leaving the students, Nixon shared his vision board and his “how-to” live every vision. By the end of the session, he positively impacted 26 students, and directly saved one. One teacher shared:

“I just wanted to say thanks for tonight and wanted to give you a little background on something. I'm going to tell you about the young man who said he wanted to be someone important. I've been trying to talk to him with no luck this week. After school, today, I started talking to him and he basically said that he is giving up on everything, because things are just the way they are. He said he was probably going to quit some programs at school and that he wasn't coming to [Our Next Generation] for any of the nights. I begged him to come. I told him that he had to come tonight and just give it a try. I knew that whatever was said tonight would stick with him.

Finally after a lot of prodding, he agreed to come and I am so glad he did. Tonight was exactly what he needed. When we were leaving, I noticed he started to just relax and smile (something I haven't seen him do in over a week). He really took to heart everything that was said. You guys got through to him tonight and I am forever grateful.” #WhatIveLearned

Alea Cross is the Youth Engagement Specialist at Our Next Generation located on 3421 West Lisbon Ave. High School Connection takes place Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 3pm-8pm (Tutoring 3-4:45pm)

With only 2 hours to cover Mean Girl behaviors, many Milwaukee Collegiate Academy ladies were shocked to learn that gossiping, verbal put downs, and backstabbing came from the inability to feel comfortable with their self. Formally, known as “Mean Girl Syndrome,” relational aggression is a form of bullying that glorifies backstabbing frememies, and idolizes shows like “Bad Girls Club, Love & Hip-Hop, and Scandal.”

“ I need ten hands,” was the catalyst to young ladies at Milwaukee Collegiate Academy learning that a recent Dove study found that 7 in 10 girls between the ages of 8-17 feel that they are not good enough or do not measure up in their appearance. 

One of the contributing factors of many MCA ladies depreciating their beauty was popularized by Twitter hashtags: #TeamLightSkin and #TeamDarkSkin. At the event, MCA ladies learned that colorism, which is the construction of hate by skin tone, had historical roots that oppressed African American women by their station as field slaves; dark skin women; and house slaves; light skin women. As MCA ladies watched, Dark Girls: A Look At Colorism and Internalized Racism In The Black Community conversations sparked among scholar-led discussion groups.

Intermingled conversations not only broke down barriers for girls not knowing each other, but increased the level of disclosure to answer questions like, “Who told you, that you were beautiful? Why did they say that you were ugly? Do you feel like you accomplish what you want when you are mean to others?” By the second half of the session, MCA ladies were ready to learn 7 reasons why they should not be a “Mean Girl.”

This event showed that peer experiences and discussions allow young people to problem-solve to make better decisions for themselves. By providing the knowledge; a solid and safe structure; one MCA senior was brave enough to speak openly, honestly, and unexpectedly about her story: “I was a Mean Girl…After turning my life around, I see women in my family be mean and I cringe, because they remind me how ugly I was.” As she shared her story, a calmness filled the room and the audience affirmed her insight with undivided attention. To close the sister-building experience, every lady participated in a teambuilding activity that asked them to embrace the ladies to their left and their right, because they are not alone in dealing with questions about image, boy problems, or academics. The MCA ladies in that circle learned they had more support than they thought with being nicer to each other. #WhatIveLearned

Special thanks to National Coalition of 100 Black Women Milwaukee Chapter and TruRoyal T for volunteering as community partners.

The keys to succeed are keyed in understanding social institutions that positively impact historically underrepresented populations who pursue post-secondary education. As 23 students journeyed to the state of Minnesota, college tours were intentionally organized to meet the needs of Milwaukee Collegiate Academy’s predominately first-generation college students. On this three-day, two-night excursion, students met with student groups and administrators that supported retention and baccalaureate completion; scholars enjoyed learning about majors from professors and students, learning life possibilities, and career paths of certain majors; as well as, experiencing student life within classroom settings. With four colleges to tour in two days, students unlocked doors of opportunity. Two-to-highlight:

Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC)
Uncovering a diamond in the ruff became the only comparable metaphor as students visited Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Dispelling the myths of community and technical colleges emphasized that “Anyone can afford college and smaller two year institutions can be stepping stones needed to build character and leverage academic support,” explained a SAAB member. SAAB or the Student African American Brotherhood, is a national organization with over 160 chapters. “ I am my brothers keeper and together we will rise,” was a resounding motto for academic support and cultural identity to empower members of the organization. As MCA Scholars explored the college, what made this visit unique was meeting a student organization whose presence supported social identity, academic excellence (2.5 to be an active member), cultural enrichment, personal development,  service learning and financial affairs. SAAS or the Student African American Sisterhood also shared nuggets of truth about the importance of creating academic opportunity vs. an academic gap by joining organizations as first-year college students.
         
Augsburg College
The biggest surprise came at the close of Augsburg’s college tour when one of the Health Sciences professor talked about Augsburg’s Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Science Department. As a program rooted in kinesthetic learning, scholars were exposed to the varies routes of College Coaching, Physical Therapy, and Sports management opportunities one can have as it relates to health sciences.  Campus life became real, as Augsburg’s athletic department offered free tickets to its Division III men’s basketball game against University of Wisconsin-Superior. Scholars cheered and defended the almighty Auggies by chorally cheering, “Defense! Defense!” By increasing the look and feel of student activities, scholars were able to normalize student culture and school affinity.

Retention and Success
With statistical data informing college completion and performance, we know that 40% of college students will leave their post-secondary program without a degree (Porter, 1990), with 75% percent of such students leaving college, the data shows attrition happens within their first two years of college (Tinto, 1987).  By exposing scholars to Astin’s theory of Involvement, Tinto’s theory of Student Development, and Boyer’s theory of Community Development, through targeted college visit experiences; scholars are developing fundamental advantages needed to complete the MCA mission of “to and through college”. Scholars are learning how to thrive as course rigor increases, glancing at socio-emotional competencies needed to become an adult through student organizations and college experiences, as well as discovering what they did not know on career avenues at an early age. #WhatI'veLearned

As the winter harshly coated the city streets with frost and chilled winds, I won’t say I was disappointed to get outside duty, just more anxious to stay inside to scoot scholars outside the building; however, on my second day out, the care and concern scholars modeled despite the cold, made me honored to blaze the cold with them.

Being an educator, I am always amazed at the compassion and discernment of students; especially given, as an adult, you are cultivated to be vigilantly overseeing the surroundings of students. Pacing 27th & Capital Drive to manage student traffic to city buses, I observed a crowd of students hovering over a slowly moving figure attempting to waddle across the street in the dead of traffic. Anticipating a harmful accident, a student swiftly grabbed the elderly man from being hit by an oncoming car.

Rushing over, I observed scholars Preston and Raheem were asking the elderly man if he needed help crossing the street. The man, with an inaudible voice, points to the other side and protests to go without crossing signals that had changed twice since him attempting to cross. Without thought the two scholars grab the arms of the elderly man on each side, to steady his walk, and began to wave traffic to help him cross the street.

Though it took ten minutes to safely walk the elderly man across the street and escort him to Wendy’s restaurant, my heart warmed to see a man over 70 years old confided in scholars 53 years his junior. The overall compassion created a society consciousness as well as one scholar iterated, “Ms. Cross, that man shouldn’t have to be out here alone. It’s to cold for him…” As I shared a few words with them both on elderly care, we walked away with a seed planted that social change happens with discerning the small things to change our part of the world. #WhatI'veLearned

"Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future."
                                                                                                             Nelson Mandela