All posts in College Access
Beyond the Bricks: Improving Black Male Academic Achievement
Be sure to check out the upcoming Bay Area screening and discussion of “Beyond the Bricks,” an important documentary that has been making the rounds on the East Coast. More information is available here.
Students BUILD Businesses to Reach Their College and Career Goals
Yesterday, a group of staff from the Kapor Center partner organizations participated in a Business to Business challenge meeting with BUILD, a non-profit that runs the nation’s largest youth incubator with the mission to use entrepreneurship to excite and propel disengaged, low-income students through high school to college success. Groups of BUILD students provided an overview of their business teams, the business ideas they were promoting, an overview of what they’ve done at BUILD so far and what the program consists of, and an overview of their career aspirations and the role college plays in achieving their dreams.
These high school sophomores were quite impressive, having created three amazing businesses to produce lego jewelry, travel pillows, and custom t-shirts. They also provided us with professional resumes and business cards. Following the presentations, the Kapor Center staff spoke of their college-to-career paths and provided advice to the students regarding their own academic and career goals. It was quite an inspirational event.
BUILD will be hosting their Annual Youth Business Plan Competitions in May where the program’s 9th grade student teams of 3-5 members present their innovative business plans (including financial statements) in two rounds of competition to a panel of prestigious judges. The winning team receives a cash prize and automatic acceptance into BUILD’s second year program, the Youth Business Incubator. You will be wowed by the youths’ charisma and ingenuity! If you’d like to attend the Business Plan Competitions, see the information below:
12th Annual Peninsula Youth Business Plan Competition
Saturday, May 14, 2011
12:00pm-4:00pm
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Bishop Auditorium
518 Memorial Way
Stanford, CA 94305
5th Annual Oakland Youth Business Plan Competition
Sunday, May 22, 2011
12:00pm-4:00pm
UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Arthur Andersen Auditorium
2220 Piedmont Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94720-1900
Save the Date! Brotherhood Graduation Celebration
College Bound Brotherhood Graduation Celebration
Wednesday, June 8
The Oakland Museum
Are you a graduating black male student who is heading to college in the fall or know someone who is? Contact jdavis@mkf.org and be recognized at the celebration!
Through the College Bound Brotherhood, the Kapor Foundation seeks to expand the number of young black men in the Bay Area who are prepared for a college education.
More information coming soon!
Good News Out of Oakland!
For Oakland’s African-American Boys, a Hopeful Statistic
by Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune
April 7, 2011
A recent school district analysis revealed that about 400 elementary schoolchildren in Oakland Unified tested perfectly in math or reading on the 2010 California Standards Test. Twenty-three of them were African-American boys.
See Letter to the Editor here.
Photo of student Amir Ealy by Trib staff Laura Oda
First College Bound Conference is a Success
Harsh rain and wild wind were not enough to stop the first annual Black & Proud to Be College Bound conference. 180-plus tenacious students and parents from across the Bay Area made the trek to San Francisco State University to take part in the conference. The day kicked off with the world-premiere of “Rebound: Get Yours” The Justin Davis Story, an 8 minute biopic that illustrates the importance of obtaining a college degree. The video set the tone for what the day was all about.
The morning plenary continued with words from the board of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Mitchell Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, Ph. D. They shared their sentiments on the importance of the conference and their decision to invest specifically in the area of young black males. Conference participants then heard from Dr. Kenneth Montiero, Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University, Walter Robinson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions at University of California, Berkeley, and lastly, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Speaker pro Tempore. Collectively, the speakers emphasized the importance of developing self-awareness, striving for success, and building a cohort of peers that will support, encourage, and work with you to become college-ready.
The morning was followed by several engaging workshops, ranging from obtaining financial aid to the role education plays in developing and maintaining successful career. Participants reconvened in the afternoon for a raffling of gift cards and two Flip cameras. The event ended with the CEO of the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, Cedric Brown, reiterating the important messages from the morning speakers and asking each young man to sign a pledge (see below) committing themselves to becoming college-ready. It was truly an epic day!
COLLEGE BOUND BROTHERHOOD PLEDGE
I am Black and proud to be college bound.
I pledge to join the 1000 other brothers on the pathway to college.
I will be focused and determined, courageous and tenacious.
I pledge to set goals that I will not only reach but surpass.
I pledge not to procrastinate when there is work to be done.
I will find and use resources that will help me to be prepared.
I will follow these values in my pursuit of higher education and
other opportunities of a lifetime.
(Written by young men from Bay Area high schools)
photo source: Derek Lassiter
Black & Proud to Be College Bound conference only 10 Days Away!
Registration is still open. Click here to get registered!
Join Us at the Brotherhood Conference!
Please join us at the Black & Proud to Be College Bound Conference, our first convening for helping build college prep skills and a college-bound community for African American young men.
Short cut to registration link: CLICK HERE.
Watch our 2010 Annual Report Video!
In the spirit of being transparent, paperless, accessible, and plain ol’ fun, the Kapor Foundation staff decided to do a video annual report that captures the highlights of 2010 (our fiscal and calendar year are the same).
Many thanks to all of our community partners and philanthropic peers for continued solid work in pursuit of our common goals, fairness and justice.
If you’re interested in more detailed information:
Click here to see a list of our 2010 grants.
The Council Has Arrived!
The College Bound Brotherhood is proud to announce the launch of the Brotherhood Advisory Leadership Council. The Council’s primary role is to ensure that College Bound Brotherhood projects remain relevant to young black males, as well as to assist us in the planning and execution of Brotherhood-related events. In addition, members of the Council will serve as leaders and organizers for their respective school and communities by advocating for the importance of education and “Being Black & Proud to Be College Bound.”
The Council consists of 17 black male high school students, all of whom possess a 2.5 GPA or better and participate in one of the programs currently supported by the College Bound Brotherhood. The Council reflects the true diversity that harbors within black men and the black community. This eclectic group defies the notion that all black men walk, talk, and dress the same. Moreover, these young men have ambitiously expressed their desire to bring new and innovative ideas to increase the graduation rates of black males in Bay Area high schools. The Council may be young in age, but through their experiences both in and outside of the classroom, they have developed a sense of maturity and know-how that will prove beneficial to not only the work of the Brotherhood, but also young black males aspiring to become college bound.
