Roosevelt hosts ‘My Brother’s Keeper’

The Roosevelt School District recently welcomed roughly 200 students from 11 school districts for the third annual My Brother’s Keeper Long Island Symposium on Saturday May 4, an engaging day of community building and professional workshops.

“Since joining the My Brother’s Keeper program about two years ago, our district has enjoyed this invaluable initiative that has provided our students with the resources, mentors and opportunities they need to graduate ready to make a difference in the world and become the future leaders of tomorrow,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Deborah Wortham.

“It was an honor to invite all eleven My Brother’s Keeper districts on Long Island to our community for such an awe-inspiring and enriching event. Everyone in attendance made amazing connections, learned from professionals and left the symposium confident and prepared for their successful futures.” 

Roosevelt is one of 36 communities throughout New York involved in the My Brother’s Keeper program, which offers programs and resources designed to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color and help them realize their limitless potential.

In addition to Roosevelt, the My Brother’s Keeper Long Island Symposium featured ten other communities, namely Brentwood, Elmont, Hempstead, Longwood, Oceanside, Sewanhaka, Uniondale, Valley Stream, Westbury and Wyandanch.

The day’s events included a panel of guest speakers, team-building activities and a series of professional workshops. The excitement kicked off with a life-sized version of the educational board game Tassel Dash. Travis and Geraldine Pinckney, of Tassel Dash, led students through the game and shared their insight on achieving personal goals.

Reverend Dr. Alfonso Wyatt inspired attendees as the symposium’s keynote speaker. Dr. Wyatt recently retired as vice president of the Fund for the City of New York and is the founder of Strategic Destiny: Designing Futures Through Faith and Facts LLC.

Guest speakers also included New York Board of Regents Chancellor Dr. Lester Young, New York Department of Education Assistant Commissioner Dr. Anael Alston, Medtronic PLC Vice President of Human Resources Tony Joseph and Roosevelt My Brother’s Keeper Advisor Spencer Belcher.

Student panelists Justin McDonald and Cahill Stevens Louis also spoke to attendees about their personal experiences, achievements and lessons they learned through their involvement in the My Brother’s Keeper program.

Following the panel of guest speakers, students participated in several breakout sessions, including “Restorative Practices and Circles,” “You are Your Brand,” “Financial Literacy,” “Sports and Respiratory Care,” and “Unlock Your Creativity: Intro to Graphic Arts and Cartooning.”

To learn more about the Roosevelt Union Free School District, please visit the District’s website at https://www.rooseveltufsd.org