Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Reaching Every Community in Miami-Dade

by Joseph Zolobczuk, MS Ed.

Introduction to Communication Solutions™ with Honey Shine program.

YES Institute is committed to reaching all people in our community, regardless of income or socio-economic background. Analyzing Miami-Dade participant data collected between 2009 and 2013, we've discovered in a new report of our cumulative program data that:
20% of all participants reached in the work of YES Institute in the past four years are within federal poverty areas.
Nearly 2,000 faculty and students YES Institute has served are from Title I Schools. 
The report also features selected stories of Title I students - Jowharah, Mark, Brian and Deanna - who found amelioration, empowerment, and new ways to make a difference in their schools and communities through YES Institute.

The new report is available on the results page of our website. Check it out!


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Making the Perfect Connection

By Deanna Saunders and Brittney McCabe 

YIYPS members network with fellow young professionals.

Jowharah Sanders made just the right connection at the latest YIYPS (YES Institute Young Professionals Society) networking event. That evening she met Luna Otero, the Community Compact Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Otero helped Sanders secure a presentation spot with seventeen MDCPS principals, administrators, teachers and counselors. This was the first introduction of her anti-bullying program - National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE) - into Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS.)

"Before the YIYPS event, I had worked extensively in Broward but had not been able to reach Miami-Dade students” - Jowharah Sanders, Executive Director of NVEEE

These key players in MDCPS were so moved by Sanders’ presentation that they invited her to present to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. Sanders hopes the presentation will inspire administrators to incorporate her year-long program into other MDCPS schools.

Of the YIYPS program, Jowharah says, “It’s a perfect fit for me. When I learned about YIYPS I was so excited to be able to network with other young people. I jumped at the chance to contribute to YES Institute, which has helped me, my community and the kids I work with so much.”

If you want to know more about how you can contribute to professionalism with a purpose, contact Brittney McCabe at 305-663-7195 or via email at brittney@yesinstitute.org.


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Winter Celebration Honors Kiaora Members, Welcomes New Friends

by Brittney McCabe

Joseph Kraus, a Kiaora Visionary and long time friend of YES Institute, opened up his beautiful home in Ft. Lauderdale to host our annual winter celebration for the Kiaora Society of Donors. Members and their guests gathered to learn more about the current work of YES Institute and celebrate the results made possible by the generous and steadfast contributions of our Kiaora members.

Amidst the festivities, Visionary and volunteer speaker Patricia shared her family’s inspiring journey to embrace their child’s gender. The entire room was moved by her unconditional love for her child, and many were inspired to donate to YES Institute to ensure families like Patricia’s will always have YES Institute as a resource.

We welcome our new Kiaora members and friends to the YES Institute family!

Patricia shares her story at Kiaora event.