Barnard College Hosts MLK Day Workshop for Truth and Promise Students

For the second year in a row, the Residential Life staff and Resident Assistants("RAs") of Barnard College commemorated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by facilitating a set of leadership development workshops for Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership students through the Barnard Reach Out (“BRO”) project.  Thirty-four HLL participants from P.S. / M.S. 149 the Sojourner Truth School (“Truth”) and Promise Academy II started off the afternoon with a healthy meal provided by Barnard.  After lunch, the HLL students broke into six smaller groups and relocated into separate rooms to discuss several life skills topics.

The HLL students learned about the value of role models, self-esteem, and decision-making. “Because of the RAs, I think every time before I make a decision, I now know that every choice I make will always have a consequence [and] it doesn’t matter what it is,” said 8th grader Sire Toure from Truth. The RAs provided an intimate and safe space for the students to share their life experiences and perspectives. Barnard Residential Life Hall Director Marcelle Mentor noted that HLL students “get to interact with a range of upper class college students and broaden these students’ horizons too. I would say that nobody leaves the day without having learned something valuable.  There are new friendships made, new thoughts ignited that could very possibly influence everyone’s lives for the better and continue building on the relationship between Barnard and HLL.”

HLL would like to thank the RAs for sharing important life lessons with our students.  We also send special shout outs to Assistant Director Jamie Rodriguez and the Residential Life staff for organizing the event.  

HLL looks forward to strengthening our relationship with Barnard and working with them again in 2016!