For over 15 years, YPP has supported young people from traditionally marginalized populations and communities with the continuity of education, consciousness raising, development and community they need to overcome the historic, cultural, and systemic barriers to success. YPP’s roots in the Civil Rights movement, and its use of community-organizing principles and peer-to-peer teaching and learning, make it the ideal organization to take advantage of the opportunities presented by this moment in history.
Over the next two years, YPP is implementing a growth plan that will allow it to expand its network to a greater number of regions across the US and to grow its presence in high schools and colleges.
Algebra Labs Pilot @ Young Achievers Math and Science Academy
The Young People’s Project site in Greater Boston has launched the pilot phase of Algebra 1 Labs at the Young Achievers School. The program enrolled 24 8th grade students to participate in a daily course during the school day working with 2 YPP Instructors. Additionally, about 45 students from the Young Achiever’s school will be participating in an Algebra 1 Labs after-school component, which will be organized by the YPP Instructors and four High School Math Literacy workers this coming winter.
Math Games
YPP in Greater Boston has continued and strengthened implementation of the Math Games training and outreach programs. This included the YPP Math Games: Flagway, T-Point, and Quad Cities (new). During the past year, Greater Boston trained 60 High School Math Literacy Workers in Cambridge (30) and Boston (30) representing the following schools: Boston Latin School, Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, Health Careers Academy, Madison Park High School, New Mission High School, O’Bryant High School, Social Justice Academy and Dorchester High School Complex.
Computational Literacy Program
YPP Greater Boston completed its first year of implementation for the new National Science Foundation (ITEST) supported program, Bridging Math and Media Literacy. Building off the current math literacy worker model, this new YPP program utilizes computer programming to enable students to create digital media and computer-based games. In 2011, 7 Boston high school MLWs were trained in the object-oriented SCRATCH programming language. Led by college MLWs and instructors, these high school students worked with 20 middle school students at the Dearborn Academy in Roxbury starting in March, with the intention to expand in the second year. Training for our Spring outreach session began in November with 12 MLWs and 3 CMLWs led by Vaughn Jackson as Instructor.
YPP MS has been busy this year! The first quarter, students facilitated outreach workshops at Operation Shoestring and the Tisdale Library.
The Family Math Night had over 25 parents and young people in attendance who showed up to learn about YPP and to support their peers in the math literacy work. (Pictured on the left: MS Program Coordinator Marquis Lowe and Math Literacy Worker, Zarius Larry Bell shown working with local teens at YPP Family Math night held at Brinkley Middle School.) There were several games demonstrated and this one is the road coloring problem which deals with probability and matrices. (April 2011)
Return of the Freedom Riders 50th Anniversary Reunion National Youth Leadership Summit. This event allowed over 200 student leaders from around the country to convene with the Freedom Riders to explore common issues, strategies, and methods of the Civil Rights Movement. The summit included intergenerational story circles and presentations by The Children’s Defense Fund, The Southern Poverty Law Center, MS Center for Justice and The Young People’s Project. There also was a talent show where students performed the YPP MS 2011 Song. (April 2011)
YPP had a mini camp for 10 students this summer for 2 weeks. The students learned YPP history, activities, and games.
Three MLW’s, Rodriguez Caldwell, Jasontiss White, and Jessica Winford [right] are shown here in Downtown Jackson working on a mapping project. YPP MS was awarded funds to support young people mapping resources that are available to them. (Summer 2011)
In the fall of 2011, outreach began at Bradley Elementary School. Tisdale Library has become a Cryptology Club, and training will begin to start I-test outreach at Brinkley Middle School in January.
Staff members have also served on several committees with Colin Powell’s Promise Zone, America’s Promise Alliance where Jackson, MS has been identified as one of the nation’s top 100 places to live for young people with a highlight on YPP
This academic year 2011-2012, YPP-MI has about 60 students attending programming at 6 different sites. Each site has about 10 students working at each site. 60 High School Math Literacy from Linclon, Huron, Ypsilanti, Willow Run and Wayne Memorial High Schools, worked with College Math Literacy Workers (CMLWs) from Eastern Michigan Univeristy and The University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
Introduction to Cryptography Math Module
Cryptography is an ancient art that is the science of writing in secret code.Professors Janet Bessinger, Vera Pless, and Daria Tsoupikova of The University of Illinois - Chicago took this ancient science and created a math module and after school curriculum called CryptoClub. CryptoClub has been a partner of YPP-Chicago since 2009, YPP-Chicago is responsible for connecting and introducing YPP-Michigan to the curriculum the summer of 2011.
The goal of Cryptoclub, like YPP, is to use cryptography as an introduction to higher level math concepts. Since kids enjoy sending and breaking secret messages, cryptography provides a very motivating setting for applying mathematics. YPP is training MLWs to teach this material to middle school and upper elementary school students.
Community Kick-off 2011 a Success!
YPP MI was excited to see 24 MLWs present at the Community Kick Off event with 76 people total including MLWs, staff, and community supporters. The evening began with dinner and mingling. After that, a Youth Talent Showcase featured CMLW Walter Lacy in Spoken Word, the band the Third Hour (Chad Oppferman, Eric Parker, Michael Taylor, Josh Hunt and Ben Jacoby), poetry by CMLW Qutresha Houston, Salsa by Director and former CMLW Alexandra Tracy and her partner Ayowale Oladeji, and stepping by the brothers of Alpha Kappa Psi (CMLW Jacob Tanner, Tony Barret, Ryan Jackson, and Jayar Smith).
Community supporter Mr. Williams explained, “I very much liked how [YPP College Performers] shared how you connected your passion (what they performed during the Talent Show) and how it provided a balance between that and the importance of working hard in school.” The night concluded with Cryptography Math and Social Justice games.
Algebra Project/YPP Cohort @ Ypsilanti High School
The YPP/Algebra Project cohort operation is a bit different from the traditional way YPP operates, in that they do not operate as an after school program. Constance and Jacob facilitate workshops in the AP classroom from 9 - 10:30am. An interesting dynamic of this structure is that students, unless absent from school, have to be there, which brings varying degrees of engagement. Despite the undulating levels of involvement by any given student, they are making progress in several areas. One being helping the students do visioning work on college, or post high school education. Soon the students will complete actual college applications to get the experience of doing so. Currently, the MLWs are encouraged to create a community service project. Also, almost weekly we review ways of solving ACT style math problems, and revisit concepts where they have trouble with in hopes of helping them prepare for the exam.
iMathination
Conference
YPP Chicago presented and participated in the iMathination Conference, a retreat-style professional development conference for middle and high school educators including administrators, teachers, coaches and curriculum directors interested in math, science and technology. They facilitated a modified Algebra Labs workshop for conference participants which led to an interesting discussion on the social justice aspects of data presentation in the media.
Algebra Labs Bash
This past May, Algebra Labs Chicago hosted its first MATH BASH at the Apostolic Church of God Banquet Facility. Over 60 students attended, as well as teachers, staff, community leaders, and parents.MLWs led games and activities that reviewed skills students learned throughout the course of the algebra labs program. Games such as Math Bingo, Wild Wagers, and What’s My Number? were crowd favorites. Students had the opportunity to visit different tables and select games to play and win prizes, as well as some great team building exercises.It was a wonderful celebration and students and adults had a great time. Students are already looking forward to next year’s Math Bash!