kisofficial2019publications

[kisofficial2019publications]

January Edition An Insider’s Perspective: What’s It Like To Be In A CBO?

CBOs (community-based organizations) are nonprofit organizations that seek to provide educational opportunities for students of disadvantaged communities. Examples include Prep for Prep, TEAK, De La Salle Academy, ABC, Oliver Scholars, and more. Following a rigorous academic program in middle school, CBOs place their students in independent schools such as Chapin, with the goal of both giving their students access to resources they otherwise would not have had and diversifying the environments that they enter. CBOs often provide college preparatory and career programs, ensuring that their students are supported after going to independent schools. These programs also create a community that their students are able to depend on throughout the independent school experience and even after.

The learning done at CBOs often go beyond the academic. Alisha, a member of Breakthrough New York who came to Chapin in ninth grade, discusses how her CBO was able to teach her skills that middle school didn’t offer. “If I had not gone to Breakthrough New York, my communication skills and interactions with my teachers would have probably been a lot different. I wouldn’t have had the confidence that I have today.”

Many CBO students also make significant contributions to their independent school community as a result of the lessons they learned at their organization. 

Romantica, who graduated from De La Salle Academy and came to Chapin in ninth grade, is a leader, manager, and active member of her clubs. De La Salle, she says, “encourage[s] students to take risks and opportunities in high school, which really helped me explore new interests.” Likewise, Alisha has been inspired to be co-found the new Interschool Black-Latinx Student Union because of what Breakthrough taught her. “My CBO is mainly people of color so going to a predominantly white institution, I thought that it was necessary to have a place where people who look  like me could come together and share experiences at a commonplace…Being a part of Breakthrough New York has taught me that starting things like this or trying something new is empowering and we should always try to add something to a community.”

While CBOs give students necessary leadership and academic preparation to enter private schools, the transition for students socially can give students difficulty. The move from CBOs to private schools can be a culture shock, as they enter spaces in which the majority of people did not look like them and/or have the same understanding of money as them. 

Catalina elaborates on this culture shock: “[Since the beginning of my Chapin experience,] I've slowly developed my sense of belonging, but at first I felt out of place. Especially in 7th grade, when most of the students of color hadn't come in yet, I felt like a perpetual guest.” The psychological impact students feel upon recognition of the disparity between the community they are from and the school community they have entered is difficult, and many CBOs don’t prepare their students for this. Romantica explains, “I wish that they [CBOs] would have told me to stay grounded to who I am.” Students must learn to perform emotional labor, dealing with microaggressions and constantly advocating for themselves and their identities. Though students have access to resources they’d never had before, the difficult transition brings up the question of whether putting students from CBOs into private schools is worth the struggle.

Alisha, however, believes the culture shock of being in predominantly white spaces is necessary to the CBO’s mission. “It’s important for Breakthrough New York to send me into Chapin because they prepare me for places where I know I’m not the majority and I’m going to be uncomfortable in. By sending me to the school, they’re putting me in a place of discomfort at an early age. So when I get into the real world, I’ll know how to handle certain situations because I’ve already experienced it at Chapin.”

Educational CBOs are founded on the idea that the integration of disadvantaged students into privileged communities is necessary in order to rectify the educational inequities in the NYC school system. Placing students in these privileged communities is also thought to benefit the independent school itself, as it brings diversity and new perspective into an often homogenous environment. Romantica says, “If private schools were only wealthy, white students (as they once were), there would be no diversity in perspectives, and students wouldn't be exposed to the many voices of America.”

Rather than allocating resources to all students of disadvantaged communities, the mission of CBOs is to provide opportunities for educational growth to only the most gifted students, limiting the number of people who can benefit. CBOs also believe students must have access to the same resources as their wealthy white counterparts in order to be successful; by extension, the process of placing students in predominantly white institutions (typically, independent schools) is core to the CBO’s mission. Romantica explains: “It's important for CBOs to send kids to schools like Chapin because it gives students with fewer opportunities a higher chance of achieving their dreams. Without Chapin, I definitely would not have the same opportunities that I have had here. There's a high chance I would not have the advanced courses or the variety of courses as there are in Chapin's curriculum.” But there is an inherent flaw in this mission of CBOs: it assumes that disadvantaged students must “escape” the public school system and enter independent schools, depending on the access that privileged students have in order to be successful.

Recognizing students from CBOs in the Chapin community is an acknowledgment of the educational gap in NYC and the impact that CBOs has had on this community. Catalina wants Chapin students to recognize that we are fortunate to receive a great education that not all students have access to. “Do not take your privilege for granted. Own it and be aware of it. Nothing hurts me more than hearing people spew such negativity about Chapin when I've worked so hard to get here. Knowing where I could have been and where so many gifted children unfortunately still are makes me so grateful to be here, and it's just offensive when people don't recognize that they are beyond blessed to be at Chapin. “

[kisofficial2019publications]

January Edition The Students’ Perspective: Debriefing The #MeToo Assembly

In October, following Dr. Ford’s testimony and Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, Chapin hosted a series of assemblies around the topic of sexual assault. The push to have an assembly came from a group of seniors who believed a space for students to have this discussion was needed. These seniors, which included Mashiyat Ahmed, Liani Astacio, Fiorella Chacon, Lana Gesinsky, Constance Gooding, Lily Nesvold, Catalina Nieto, Jenny Prince, Lake Sheffield, Malaika Thiam-Bockman, Angela Yang, and Cerise Yau, drafted a proposal to the administration outlining their ideas on what an assembly like this would look like and how it could benefit students and members of the community. With the guidance of Dr. Shalev, Mr. Maloy and Ms. Corbin, a plan for three unique assemblies on the topic was born.

The assemblies, which were spread over three days, included two open forums, where students were given the opportunity to voice their opinions to the rest of the Upper School, and one informative presentation on activism given by an organization outside of Chapin. During the open forums many students and some teachers came up responding to the prompts, “I think, I feel, and I hope.”

After the assemblies, the responses from students were varied in terms of how effective the open forum was. Some, like Alana Davis ‘19, believed the assemblies were a productive use of her time. She said, “I think the assemblies were fairly effective in terms of allowing students to vent their concerns and personal experiences. although some students didn’t exactly “need” the opportunity to talk, it was highly beneficial for those who did and personally, I needed to listen.”

The fact that the assemblies were mandatory to students was something that was thoroughly discussed in organizing the series of assemblies. On one hand, making them optional was thought to minimize the importance of the topic. The 2016 election open forum was mandatory so why shouldn’t this one be too? On the other hand, it was understood that this topic could be triggering to many, and people were given the option to leave if needed. A Chapin senior, who wished to be identified as anonymous, said: “I think the topic of the assemblies was definitely an important issue and I agree that there should be a way for students to talk about it; however, I think the way we did the series of  #metoo assemblies was not the best way to do that. I don't think the assemblies should have been mandatory and spanned over multiple days because to me they seemed forced and not very productive.”

Some students also had constructive criticism about what was actually said during the assemblies. Another anonymous student said, “I thought [the assembly] was interesting but very repetitive. It would have been better to have a more diverse crowd. I think [the topic] is important but I don’t think the people standing up should’ve been cut off. Another assembly should’ve been made for them to speak.” It is true that students who came up to speak had similar perspectives and opinions on the topic of Dr. Ford’s testimony.

While many students came up bravely and vulnerably shared their thoughts, with some students even preparing statements in advance, some still did not feel comfortable speaking candidly. One anonymous student explained why she did not participate when she said, “I don’t really like public speaking and I didn’t share all the same opinions as most of the people in the audience. People in Chapin tend to have the same views and it’s hard when you don’t fully agree with them. I didn’t want people to misinterpret my words and view me differently.” A second student voiced a similar opinion, “No, I did not come up. I feel like at Chapin if you have opinions that are even a little different from what the general opinion/consensus is there’s this fear you will be attacked by certain members of the community. And because of that, I think that a lot of people who have different views don’t always feel comfortable vocalizing their views because things could be misinterpreted or [verbally] attacked even.”

We often hear about the “bubble” of NYC, Chapin, and other communities we might belong to; however, sometimes we forget that in our own communities not everyone feels as comfortable sharing how they feel as others. Some find it ironic that as accepting certain communities and institutions claim to be, if you don’t fit in and share the general opinion you can be ostracized and judged. In an environment like Chapin, where we come into learn everyday and push ourselves to be more accepting and aware, it is even more important to understand and allow yourself and others to stand apart from the crowd and bravely assert how you truly feel.

[kisofficial2019publications]

November Edition Perspective Plan: Sexual Assault: How Can We Use Perspective Powerfully in Our Activism

Change your notion of what a survivor looks like. Acknowledge that:

Survivors come in all ages, genders, and racial/ethnic backgrounds

Romantic partners can sexually assault each other

Queer and trans people are especially vulnerable to assault

Native American women have the highest rates of sexual assault in the nation

Creating a safe environment for survivors of sexual assault:

Be willing to show up and listen.

Understand that your peers’ experiences may be different from your own.

Lean into the discomfort of vulnerability - whether that is coming from you or someone else.

If attending marches, protests, and calling reps isn’t for you:

Learn, learn, learn. Inform yourself as best as you can.

Empower others to do what you can’t (attending marches and speaking out)

Play on your strengths. Is it organizing? Is it utilizing your social media platform? Is it mobilizing your community through your art? Is it being willing to listen and learn? Is it simply showing up?

How to take care of yourself in the light of current news:

Self care: Take time for yourself to reflect and do something you love. Prioritize your mental and physical health first.

Sometimes, the only person you can help is yourself.

It’s okay to step away from the issue at hand, for as much time as you need, for whatever reason.

[kisofficial2019publications]

November Edition Action Plan: Sexual Assault

With recent sexual assault allegations against judge Brett Kavanaugh pervading both American  news and politics, many of us awaited the pivotal senate confirmation vote, ultimately confirming Kavanaugh’s seat on the United States Supreme Court. Kavanaugh’s induction into the Supreme Court continued to raise questions about sexual harassment brought up by the #MeToo movement. In past years, numerous women have come forward sharing their stories of sexual assault throughout their daily lives, including allegations against some of the most high positioned individuals in society ranging from Hollywood’s elites to Capitol Hill’s most successful politicians. The term “me too” originally emerged in 2006 from social activist, Tarana Burke, in order to raise awareness about sexual abuse, however was popularized in 2016 by actress Alyssa Milano, who encouraged people to share their stories of assault on Twitter using the hashtag MeToo. Here are steps you can take to take action against sexual violence/ if you need help:

If you have the time, consider dedicating part of your day sometime to a protest of organizing meeting in NYC. Lending your voice is one way to increase the power of the movement.

Events:

Events regarding sexual assault - These events do cost a fee to go. Do not feel obligated to go to events you do not have the financial resources for.

Make sure you hold your elected representatives accountable. Just because they may be a member of a certain party, does not mean they are doing everything to combat sexual assault and rape culture. Here are resources to start holding people accountable.

Calling or Contacting representatives:

Scripts For Calling Your Representatives

Scripts for Emailing Your Representatives

To find your district: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

Financial Support

If you have the financial resources to do so, money talks. Donating to groups and organizations that support survivors either through policy, healthcare, or other type of support, can be incredibly powerful and is a tangible way to make change. Here is a list of some of organizations that we believe support survivors. This list is by no means exhaustive so if you find another organization you prefer to donate to, that’s okay too.

Consider donating to:

RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)  

Safe Horizons (specialized in human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence)

NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)

Support for you or others:

If you need help, these are resources you can use. Remember look for resources that work for you! If you find these to be unhelpful, there are many more out there:

Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Planned Parenthood Info on Sexual Assault

Planned Parenthood (facilities offer tests free of charge)