Youth Forward MKE Reveals its Framework for the Future
“We aim to be different.”
That’s what Youth Forward MKE promised nearly one year ago when they officially launched their youth-adult partnership. Now, with a cohort of nine youth ambassadors and a clear framework for the future, they’re putting their words into action and showcasing what it looks like for youth to wield the power.
This was evident during their March 22 meeting, where youth took the reigns in defining what high school success means – and how we can measure it to get a clear picture of the state of education in Milwaukee. Alongside this data-driven endeavor, the partnership provided updates on their ongoing work to measure youth-adult equity and their progress on the youth-generated Design Your Future proposals.
The State of High School Success
Ambassador Delonta Henderson picks up trash with fellow ambassadors during the Week of the Young Child parade on April 3.
What is high school success? Oftentimes, adults simplify this complicated concept into easy metrics, like suspension rates, absenteeism and high school completion. Yet for our youth, success goes far beyond these simple statistics.
That’s why Milwaukee Succeeds and Youth Forward MKE are embarking on a new report to explore what success means for our students and how we can measure it accordingly. The State of High School Success, which is currently slated for release in late 2023, will provide youth-informed data on how Milwaukee stacks up. It will also serve as a tool to teach the community how they can advocate for change.
“High school success looks like equity no matter the school, your ZIP code, or how much you make,” said Ambassador Amaya Bauldwin during the youth-led discussion. “And it’s somewhere where youth voice is implemented and acted on.”
“I believe that high school success means to be fully equipped with knowledge and discipline, to know what you’re capable of and what you’re doing,” added fellow Ambassador Deh Nee.
Tailus Rush, one of the five new ambassadors joining the four returning youth, agreed. “I believe high school success is the ability to use knowledge you learned inside of high school in the outside world.”
In addition to defining high school success, youth also took the lead in determining what data, research and information could be collected as we begin to measure success in Milwaukee’s schools.
Attendance rates surfaced as a valuable source of information, although ambassadors recommended using the data as a starting point to explore why students don’t want to – or aren’t able to – attend.
“It’s always best to understand the problems that are happening with students at home to understand what’s affecting them all in school,” Ambassador Delonta Henderson explained. “What’s affecting their grades? Do they have time to study? Those should be the key things people should be looking into.”
Data on suspension rates, why students are getting sent home and the existence of alternative forms of disciplinary action also arose as potential areas to explore, in addition to students’ plans beyond high school and their participation in activities outside of the classroom.
Director of Research Kristin Kappelman and the extensive data workgroup will utilize feedback from this discussion to refine what the report looks like and how student voice can be incorporated into its development. Stay tuned for more information, including opportunities to help us collect more youth voice! (If you’re interested in joining the data workgroup, contact Kristin to learn more.)
Youth-Adult Equity Assessment
Ambassadors Tailus Rush and Kaylee Marsh help clean up the streets around Pete’s Fruit Market on April 3.
In addition to the State of High School Success report, Youth Forward MKE is continuing to develop and refine its Youth Adult Equity Assessment. The tool, which helps organizations determine where they land on the Youth Adult Equity Ladder, was piloted this winter, with 13 organizations taking part.
The data workgroup will now be utilizing feedback from participants to further refine the tool ahead of a wider rollout this year. Any organization whose work impacts youth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin or beyond will be encouraged to gather their team and complete the questionnaire.
In addition, in order to facilitate discussions on youth-adulty equity within local organizations, Youth Forward MKE ambassadors are developing a presentation on the topic, which will include the assessment.
“We hope to have this presentation ready to share by late spring or early summer,” said Ambassador Kaylee Marsh, “and we'd love the opportunity to present it to your organization!”
Design Your Future
The final update of the evening involved the ongoing implementation of the three youth-generated Design Your Future proposals. Proposal 1, which aims to expand access to mental health curriculums and critical mentoring support, is currently being piloted at North Division and Pathways high schools.
Community Engagement Manager Sebastián Fuentes and High School Success Project Coordinator Maria Hamidu pick up trash alongside the Youth Forward MKE Ambassadors on April 3.
Proposal 2 will expand on this with wraparound spiritual, physical and mental wellness supports, which will be housed at the new ThriveOn King building that is currently under construction. The hope is create an open space where young people can hang out, talk openly and build community with a focus on boosting their overall wellness. The search is currently underway for a local organization to operate the space and coordinate youth-centered programming.
The third and final proposal centers on creating an Autonomous Youth Council, with the goal of training students in culturally relevant education practices and community organizing, and providing pathways into education and policy advocacy.
“The key word here is autonomous,” said Strategic Initiatives Manager Clintel Hasan. “It will not be student government in the way that we traditionally know it. It is intentionally autonomous because we don't want the priorities or agendas of any adult-led institutions invading this council.”
This work will take part in two phases. Under phase one, Youth Forward MKE ambassadors and the K12 Civic Action team will conduct informal listening sessions, where youth and community members will have the opportunity to weigh in on the curriculum and overall structure of the council. Phase two, which is scheduled for the summer of 2024, will see the launch of the first cohort of the Summer Training Academy, which will create the foundation for the autonomous council.
This academy will provide ongoing training and professional development opportunities to prepare students to serve as junior servant leaders. As such, they’ll have the chance to lesson plan and student teach alongside teachers in summer school, allowing them to gain practical experience and helping them better advocate for the supports and practices they want to see in schools.
Ultimately, this academy will help build a sustainable teacher pipeline by exposing students to careers in education and providing them with a supportive network as they pursue licensure and certification.
Keep an eye out for more information on our upcoming listening sessions to learn more and lend your voice to the creation of the council!
