MBK
My Brother's Keeper
Empowering our young men to be the leaders of tomorrow through mentorship
My Brother's Keeper (M.B.K.) provides leadership and mentorship opportunities to 400 boys throughout District 19. Mentors meet weekly with their small groups and once a month as a whole group. The focus of MBK is to show and help guide our young men to act and be seen in our community and in the world. Topics include social and emotional wellness, personal hygiene and respect for others.
MBK Core Values
D19 MBK core values are centered in love....
MBK Affirmation
Mission and Vision
Mission
Our mission is to empower young males of color by fostering belief in their abilities, setting and upholding high expectations, providing positive male role models, building and strengthen self-confidence, creating fraternal bonds, instilling morals and values, celebrating their uniqueness, and providing exposure to opportunities that will prepare them for the world.
Vision
The young men of the Clan will acquire the tools and skills needed to become positive, highly motivated, and productive men who are college and career ready. They will become future leaders who will uplift their communities, support their families, and impact society through their contributions in their designated professions.
March 2022
The March Convening was held on Friday, March 18, 2022. Over 150 of our young men gathered via Zoom as mentors and mentees from Brooklyn Gardens, School of the Future, P.S. 345, and I.S. 364 hosted the event. The theme of the event was "We Can't Do this Alone" in honor of Women's History Month. The scholars from Brooklyn Gardens shared a video that highlighted their partnership with their GEMS program to complete their "Call to Action" projects. They then led the mentees in a discussion about women they admire. Mentees from P.S. 345 got our competitive juices going with a Women's History Month Kahoot Trivia Challenge. School of the Future then lead us through reviewing our "Call to Action" projects, by sharing the work they have done around health and wellness, including a yoga session led by Principal Burnside. We could not end the convening without a little bit of "March Madness" as mentors and mentees competed in one final Kahoot trivia challenge about college basketball. As the year winds down, our mentors and mentees will be focusing on completing their "Call to Action" projects, so if you have the chance, check-in with your MBK groups to see what wonderful work they are doing to leave their legacy on your school community.
December 2022
December 2021
In the month of December, the brave young men of our district's MBK program were lead in team building activities with one another as we focused on teamwork! Led by MS 935 mentors Antoine and Jesse, the young men of 935 led us in affirmations, and mindfulness, then as a collective we spoke joy and good will into existence. Following this activity, the young men engaged in collaboration with their peers across the district to create their MBK crowns.
Mentors then led the young men into their themed activity. December's convening focused on how "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work." Mentors engaged the students in how each of them playing their specialized role will allow for the whole team to achieve their goal. Mentees unpacked how each role on a football team's offense allow for them to score points and be effective and mentors then challenged the young men in their groups to identify which role they would play as we bravely march forward to our "Call to action" projects!
The mentees then engaged in activities to claim who their favorite teams and team members were before we engaged in a brain break that let the young men and mentors cut loose to some of our favorite holiday tunes. We are very excited to see what comes of our call-to-action project as January we will do a mid-point check in with the mentees to see how their teams have moved closer to our goal.
The January MBK convening centered on the work of the late & great Dr. King and the Call-to-action projects mentees have been working to create in their school and the greater community. The theme of this convening was "Thinking out loud!"
Six months before he was assassinated, King spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on 10/26/1967. 19K346 student Aiden Ginscombe gave a rousing rendition of the speech during the convening.
The speech's theme was writing your life's blueprint and following through on that
plan to unlock your fullest potential.
Following some fun community-building activities, Mentors Dwayne Waters (Liberty Avenue Middle School) and Brian Hibbert (Vista Academy) led the mentees in conversation and activities geared to strengthen the mentees' awareness of how their call-to-action projects can help identify areas of need in their community. Schools then action planned to further their work with an eye on impact for their school community.
We look forward to another fruitful month of learning. MBK ALL DAY!