Vol. 9
June 2022
The Future is US exists to fight for Galveston youth through community voice so future generations can meet their full potential.
May Was FUN!
The Future is US was busy in May! We helped out at Grandkids Fest, moved our headquarters to Shearn Moody Plaza, played with goats, started a new project, and much more!
Soul Food Sessions #3 was a Great Success!
On May 12th at Noche Berry Salon, the Galveston Community gathered to discuss Black mental health! The session was led by Walter Little, a speaker working with NAMI Gulf Coast.
The night was full of great fellowship and discussion. As well as delicious food from B&S Catering!
Above is the live stream of Soul Food Sessions #3. We hope that you find it as helpful and inspirational as it was for those that attended in person.
Stay tuned for more Soul Food Sessions to continue our conversation about Black mental health!
Advocacy 101 Civics Training (Redux)
Your voice, your experiences, and your stories matter. You deserve to be heard by our leaders who make decisions that affect us and our communities for years to come. CDF-Texas is a nonprofit organization that empowers Texans to take action on key issues in our state through our Advocacy 101 training. This training will prepare you to recognize key policy and lawmakers, understand the policymaking process, and most of all, take collective action in order to create the changes our communities deserve.
On Thursday, June 2nd, TFIU-SNCC is hosting a youth advocacy training by the Children's Defense Fund! The training will take place at the Rosenberg Library in the Fox Room. Food will be provided and we will have great giveaways! Also, the training will simultaneously be live streamed.
Check out the TFIU Facebook page for more details and news from TFIU-SNCC!
LAUNDRY & LEARNING Presented by Nia Cultural Center
Join Nia Cultural Center for a presentation and discussion with doula Channel Ojo about early childhood brain development and building baby brains. We invite Galveston parents, guardians, and caregivers of children under the age of 3 to register and attend. We will provide refreshments and $10 of laundry for registered attendees.
Register at tinyurl.com/LaundryLearning
This event will take place at iWash Laundry, 2027 45th Street, Galveston, TX.
This event is organized through Nia Cultural Center's Harambee! (see below) for Galveston's Youngest Citizens initiative. "Harambee" is the Swahilli word for "Let's All Pull Together". Funded by Episcopal Health Foundation, this effort invites our community to pull together and address the racial disparities in health and education outcomes experienced by Black children in Galveston by strengthening and improving local supports and resources available to families during the most critical time of their baby's brain development, the first 1000 days of life.
Parent Advocacy Training from Honey Hope Brown Foundation!
Join Nia Cultural Center and TFIU on June 11th, from 1pm-3pm at the Boys & Girls Club, 4500 Ave P, Galveston TX.
If your child has experienced frequent discipline, been expelled, or suspended, help is on the way! Learn how to fight for your child and to help others keep Black children out of the school-to-prision pipeline. Sign up to get training to help other parents to advocate for their children. This event is free and open to the public and will included refreshments, prizes, and door prizes.
Hosted by The Future is US and Nia Cultural Center's Children's Defense Fund's Freedom School with special guest Tammie Campbell of the Honey Brown Hope Foundation. This event will include How to Advocate for your Child: Toolkit for Black & Brown Parents & Guardians.
Register at https://tinyurl.com/ParentAdvocacy2022
Intellectual Emancipation Book Club
IEBC finished Black Skin, White Masks on May 28th
The IEBC finished Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon!
This book was a challenge, but was fulfilling for IEBC to complete. We all learned from the book and from each other.
IEBC has not picked the next read, but stay tuned to our Facebook page for the details and links to the next reading!
Freedom School
Nia Cultural Center is excited to welcome their Scholars back to The Nia Cultural Center's CDF Freedom School for their Summer 2022 Session!
Freedom School is FREE 6-week literacy and cultural enrichment program for children currently in grades K-12.
Check out what Freedom School has to offer!
FREE books for children to take home
90 hours dedicated to reading and literacy
HEALTHY meals and snacks daily
Activities that include arts, sciences, and fitness
Field trips ranging from picnics in the park to visiting interactive learning centers
Events dedicated to parent, family, and community engagement
Register here, Freedom School Enrollment Application and contact freedomschool@niacultural.org if you have any questions!
Hooked On Reading
Galveston's 61st Street Fishing Pier has a reading log for children 5-12!
Read 10 books and bring their completed log to the pier and receive a FREE child's admission and one adult/chaperone admission!
1000 Books Before Kindergarten!
Did you know that by reading and sharing stories with babies and young children not only helps their brain development, but strengthens your relationship with them? Research has found that reading and story telling:
Helps in developing children's brain development in concentration, focus, social skills and communication
Expands children's vocabulary! A 2019 study found that children that were regularly read to the 5years leading up to Kindergarten were exposed to 1.4 million more words.
A 2008 study found that children feel secure when read to and can support a solid parent-child relationship.
Sign up today for Rosenberg Library's Reading Challenge!
Nia Cultural Center's Harambee
Harambee means let's all pull together.
The way Harambee for Galveston's Youngest Citizens plans on pulling together is through our new program designed to assist families with Black Galveston's children ages 0 to 3 by paying parents, grandparents, and guardians $30/hour to enroll and participate in our community's children's brain development support classes. Participants then give feedback on their experience through shared decision making on how we can increase appeal and cultural relevance in these classes. Local data shows that Galveston's black children consistently experience disadvantages when it comes to health and education. Through this program we will pull together alongside our parents, guardians, and partners to bring better access for local resources.
For more information and to register, visit Harambee Interest Form.
24/7 Dad Group Starting June 15th!
Family Service Center of Galveston County provides a FREE parenting group for fathers and father figures in Galveston county, 24/7 Dad!
Fathers are able to connect with others, gain support, and learn how to be a better parent, communicator, discipliner, and role model for their children, loved ones, and their children's mothers.
The group meets weekly for 1 hour with 12 sessions total and will begin meeting Wednesday June 15th.
If you are interested in signing up for the group or learning more about Family Service Center's Fatherhood Program, email fatherhood@fscgal.org!
Black to the Future! (Black History Lessons)
Learn about the history of the school to prison pipeline and zero tolerance policies.
TFIU School Board Watch Doc!
The Future is Us’ critical goal is to effectuate policy change in GISD, so that black students, and ultimately, all children receive a quality education. However, institutional power can be adversarial at times. Therefore, it is compulsory to us as parents, youth, and Galveston community members to hold our local institutions and Board of Trustees accountable.
Through a collaborative effort, TFIU created and is making available our The Future is US SCHOOL BOARD WATCH Document. With this self-explanatory document, any interested community member can attend or watch a school board meeting, and record detailed notes and minutes, as well as assess, in real time, the quality of content in the meeting.
Once completed, please e-mail the document to info@thefutureisus.co. We will compile the information so that we can become better equipped and more effective in our advocacy for positive change and creating better GISD schools.
Thank you all in advance for your support and dedication to making sure all of Galveston’s students get the best education possible!
Upcoming Board Meetings:
(All scheduled times of meetings are subject to, and often do, change without notice.)
Check out the TFIU Toolkit!
More Upcoming Dates!
Next Steps!
Please stay informed and up to date by visiting the following links:
You're on your phone anyway...
Follow these accounts for continued education and exposure!
There are lots of ways you can make a difference in the community!
Take our Survey (QR Code below) and let us know what you think will make change in the school district.
Join the TFiU/NIA Book Club.
Become a TFiU Member!
Visit TFiU's Youtube.
Visit TFiU's Website
GISD School Board Connection
Upcoming Board Meetings:
(All scheduled times of meetings are subject to, and often do, change without notice.)
In Memoriam
Julenne Andrisee Faith Brown
October 25, 1985 - August 29, 2021
