School environments are more impactful as learning hubs when all stakeholders participate in building a culture to engage, encourage and empower Black boys. We all know “it takes a village to raise a child,” so it’s critical that we engage family and community members to enrich the learning environment.
Over the years we have produced and modeled engagement events that convene families and community for district partners. Some of these compelling events include: Award Ceremonies, Back to School Nights, Listening Campaigns, Crowning Ceremonies and conferences for youth and adults. It’s important to bring everyone to the table to hear and understand their perspectives so that we can build a movement to empower Black boys together.
Now that we have acquired KOO Labs Design Center and Production House we also integrate family and community engagement (FACE) with our place-based programming and events. This is another way for us to connect with and serve students, families, and community members outside of schools to continue to build together.
KOO Labs is a safe space for students to develop marketable skills across multiple industries: music, film, media, and fashion. KOO Labs aims to become an incubator for youth in areas such as design, animation, podcasts, music and film to ultimately benefit the community with healthy, educated and productive citizens.
Look out for our FACE Director Adrian Henderson is reaching out to other community based organizations for ways to partner and serve our community fully. We will continually share resources, best practices, and beneficial events for our district partners and the KOO community at-large in our newsletter and on our website.