Every child can rise

As president of 鈥� (HCZ), a world-renowned education and poverty-fighting organization based in New York City, Canada has made it his life鈥檚 work to help young people from under-resourced communities succeed. , HCZ now serves more than 34,000 students and families living in a 97-block area of Central Harlem in New York City.

Growing up in an impoverished south Bronx neighborhood, Canada said he has seen firsthand the result of young people not receiving quality education.

鈥淚t鈥檚 life and death,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y mother had four sons, but only three made it. At 72-years-old, not one of my friends I grew up with is alive today,鈥� said Canada. 鈥淚t means the ability to take care of your family or fall into a black hole that sucks you in and destroys lives.鈥�

Canada鈥檚 keynote speech was a commentary on the state-of-affairs in education and a rally cry to educators to change their perspective on what it means to stand up for every child.

Aftermath of COVID-19

Today鈥檚 educators, schools and students face daunting challenges, many exacerbated by the upheaval and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淟earning loss is real, and many kids have not caught up academically and never will unless we do something,鈥� said Canada. 鈥淲e may think things have returned to normal, but our children have not recovered. What we are doing is passing along a whole generation of kids who don鈥檛 have the ability to be college ready.鈥�

Canada said that makes it more important than ever to offer programs like UofL鈥檚 newly launched , which reaches out to youth in middle and high school to equip and nurture them with essential skills, mentoring, supports and networks they need to be ready for the higher education experience and success in life.

鈥淲e need to give these young people just a sniff of the American dream so they can believe there is a way for them to make it,鈥� he said.

Through his hard work with the Harlem Children鈥檚 Zone, Canada鈥檚 efforts have resulted in placement of nearly 1,000 kids in college 鈥� kids who never thought college could be part of their future. Canada said changing expectations is key to shifting that culture from believing college is not for them to believing college is definitely for them.

鈥淲hen 1,000 kids come home in the summer from college, they see people they know and start to think, 鈥業f he can go to college, I could go to college.鈥� It becomes normal,鈥� Canada explained.

Thinking creatively 聽

Although Canada attended one of the worst schools in the nation as a child, he said unfortunately not much has changed.

鈥淚f you go in those schools today, they start and end at the same time, and kids are taught the same way, even though we know that for 60 years, it hasn鈥檛 worked,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e must do different things.鈥�

In an effort to lead change, Canada created a charter school in Harlem where there are after-school supports until 7 p.m. Saturday school also is available throughout the year for struggling kids. These efforts, he said, have yielded considerable progress in closing achievement gaps in math and reading.

鈥淲hy do we think we can teach the same way to everyone? What are the diverse ways we can save these young people? We can save some kids through academics, or athletics, or art, or mental health or physical health, or parents, grandparents or siblings,鈥� he said.

For university educators, Canada believes they, too, need to continue figuring out what is working and what is not, especially for young people with little exposure to college.

鈥淭hese are complicated times, but our mission cannot change, and we cannot sit on the sidelines,鈥� said Canada. 鈥淲e have to take a stand.鈥�

鈥淲ith the name 鈥楥ardinals Rising,鈥� I immediately thought of a nest,鈥� Mahone said. 鈥淗ow do we build a nest for our students so that when they graduate high school, they are ready to come to UofL, or ready to go into their careers? At UofL, there鈥檚 a nest here to help them nurture and hone their skills and abilities so they can succeed in a higher learning institution.鈥�

, which was announced Aug. 28 at the , is designed to serve students in grades 8-12 and will bridge the educational divide for underserved, low-income and first-generation students and their families to help build a thriving college-going culture. The program is a collaborative effort with UofL’s academic colleges and resources that will provide year-round engagement and ongoing development through mentorship and enrichment activities.

鈥淥ur mission is to empower students by creating and cultivating pathways to higher education through an infrastructure of intentional relationships and strategic investment,鈥� Mahone said. 鈥淲e want to create a future where every student, regardless of background or circumstances, has equitable access to higher education and the opportunities that it brings.鈥�

The initial phase of the program will focus on recruiting a pilot group of male students from and connect them with UofL Cardinals Rising ambassadors. Later phases of the program will introduce opportunities for female students and broaden the scope.

The first participation goal is to attract 200 JCPS students to be evenly placed across the grade levels from 8-12 with 15-20 UofL ambassadors made up of students, staff and faculty recruited for mentorship matching. JCPS principals, counselors and Family Resource Center staff will help recommend and recruit youth for the program.

Once the first cohort of ambassador-student matchups is identified, Mahone said they will meet with parents and host getting- to-know-you sessions with families in spring 2025. Next, the summer academy will offer a weeklong immersive experience on Belknap Campus filled with dynamic college-level activities. Cardinals Rising ambassadors also will meet with students at their own schools and offer holistic support that empowers entire families with tools needed for success.

Mahone said he hopes to eventually expand the program to all JCPS schools and every county in the Commonwealth.

鈥淥ur vision is a community where the talent and the potential of all students is recognized and nurtured, and they contribute to the workforce of the city and state through collaboration and innovation,鈥� he said.

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