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CIP Community Engagement

Partner Institution: Central College

Activity:  Community and School Collaborative Projects

ACE provided support to facilitate collaboration between Central College and the Des Moines Youth Leadership Initiative. The mission of the Youth Leadership Initiative is "to introduce, develop, and nurture leadership skills among youth in Greater Des Moines by providing experiential mentoring and leadership experiences enhancing self-esteem and encouraging involvement in all levels of community life."

ACE support enabled students, parents, educators, and staff involved in Central College’s Educational Talent Search, GEAR UP, and Upward Bound and the Des Moines Youth Leadership Initiative to attend the Conference on White Privilege, the premier conference in the nation that addresses issues of privilege and racism. During this conference, youth and professionals were able to have a personal and intense discussion on privilege and racism.

Students participated in the White Privilege Youth Institute, an all-day event at the conference featuring daily dialogue breakout sessions, a "mix-it-up" experience led by Teaching Tolerance staff, and a spoken word event. By participating in this institute, emerging student leaders experience a conference that could make them leaders in fighting racism in our society.

All teachers from Central College’s pre-college program target schools were invited to attend the daylong Professional Development Institutes. The institutes include topics such as "Making Our Schools Safe for LGBT Students," "Placing Anti-racism at the Center of Teaching and Learning," and "Young Children and Racism: Strategies for Educating and Rearing Children in a Toxic Society."

For Additional Information:

Contact Central College's College Is Possible liaison, Nancy Wright, at wrightm@central.edu.