Future
The Sarah Moore Greene (SMG) Foundation collaborates with its partners, Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy students and members from the community – to explore and develop FUTURE alliances that improve the lives and early educational opportunities of underachieving children. Two such FUTURE alliances – Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Leaders Institute for Faith & Education (LIFE); and Ashoka Young Changemakers are presented below.
LEADERS INSTITUTE FOR FAITH & EDUCATION
There are two things that were extremely important to Ms. Greene in the lives of her students – FAITH and EDUCATION.
In 2018, Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) launched LIFE (Leaders Institute for Faith & Education). In the LIFE statement below HGSE speaks about the importance of school and faith institutions to vulnerable (underserved) communities.
“No matter how vulnerable a community becomes, usually in this country — no matter how blighted it becomes in spite of economics — there are two institutions that remain: schools … and faith institutions. Faith traditions, particularly in vulnerable communities — African American, Latino, Native American, vulnerable communities economically, rural white communities — play a pivotal role in the support and sustaining and political engagement in those communities. If we aren’t taking children’s faith into account, we are missing a big opportunity to tap into their world.”
You are invited to listen to…
The Harvard EdCast entitled “Finding Faith in Education” provides additional information of the LIFE initiative.
Harvard EdCast
Across America students in rural, suburban, and urban areas experience the daily effects of inequity on their educational journeys. At the same time, we know that faith (institutions) provides stability, support and guidance to millions of young people, families and communities across the United States, and specifically is pivotal for vulnerable communities. At the Leadership Institute for Faith and Education (LIFE), we believe that schools have the opportunity to leverage the support these institutions provide to enhance, empower, and raise achievement levels of all kinds for children across America. Through the work of LIFE we aim to answer the questions: What role is there for faith communities to become more engaged partners in the work of improving student outcomes? And What can strong alliances between faith leaders, schools, communities, and advocates look like? What impact might these partnerships have?
SMG FOUNDATION/LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR FAITH & EDUCATION GOALS
One of the Sarah Moore Greene Foundation goals for 2020 is to explore the merits of a relationship with HGSE’s LIFE initiative under which:
1) Schools and faith institutions relationships in the Greater Knoxville community would be enhanced
2) Early educational opportunities for underachieving children in Greater Knoxville community would be improved
3) Underachieving children scores in Knox County Schools would be improved
ASHOKA YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS
ASHOKA – INNOVATORS FOR THE PUBLIC
In a congratulatory letter to Sarah Moore Greene on the occasion of her 101st Birthday, Barak Obama, 44th President of the United States of America states… “Education remains our strongest tool against injustice, and I hope you will take pride in the contributions you have made to ensuring our children can think bigger and set their sights higher.”
Ashoka Young Changemakers provides the encouragement and opportunity for our children to think bigger and set their sights higher.
Ashoka Young Changemakers – All Young People Must be Changemakers
Joshua Williams, Ashoka Young Changemaker, June 2018. Joshua’s Heart Foundation.
The Ashoka initiative would provide Knoxville area underachieving children the opportunity to:
- Affiliate with an international organization that views everyone a changemaker
- Receive Ashoka updates (newsletter, etc.) on its activities around the world
- Develop a Joshua’s Heart Foundation type initiative in the Knoxville area
Ashoka is an international non-profit organization that promotes social entrepreneurship. Their stated mission is “to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world’s citizens to think and act as changemakers”
SMG FOUNDATION/ASHOKA YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS GOALS
One of the SMG Foundation goals for 2020 is to explore the merits of a relationship with
Ashoka Young Changemakers under which:
1) The lives of and early educational opportunities for underachieving children would be improved
2) That underachieving children would receive the encouragement and opportunity to think bigger and set their sights higher