In September, 2014, President Obama issued a challenge for communities to become "My Brother's Keeper Communities." The challenge encourages communities to implement a 'cradle-to-college-and-career strategy' to improve the lives and outcomes of our young people. There are six goals to the challenge:
1. Ensuring all children enter school cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally ready
2. Ensuring all children read at grade level by 3rd grade
3. Ensuring all youth graduate from high school
4. Ensuring all youth complete post-secondary education or training
5. Ensuring all youth out of school are employed
6. Ensuring all youth remain safe from violent crime
We CAN do this. These are lofty goals and I am not sure how long it would take for them to become reality. But one thing I know is that they will never become a reality for any of our children and young people, if we do nothing. This is something we can do. If we take even just one of these goals and implement a strategy in our own community we can make a difference in the life of a young person and give them a brighter future.
This week Freddie Gray. Who will it be next week? We CAN do this. We MUST do this.