Summer Highlights: The BRO Space Comes Alive, News 12 Feature, implicit bias workshops, art therapy, and more
Greetings, community. We have so much progress to report from one hot summer! In our last update we had just moved into the new BRO Space here in Bed Stuy. It was a big empty box filled with nothing but potential. Now it’s thriving with life!
In this update we have a ton to highlight: the success of our VIBE program, implicit bias workshops with the NYPD, fresh news coverage, inspirational words from our Theory of Change, and more.
Before we begin, a reminder that our efforts are supported by you: the community. We’re working hard to assemble our 100 Strong, a group of 100 community donors who give monthly (whether a small or large amount). Our numbers grew this summer but we still need your support. Please take a moment and become a subscriber to community stewardship and young men’s futures. This video says it all.
Okay, on with the show...
News 12 Features The BRO Experience in its “State of Our Schools” Special
Thank you Brooklyn News 12 for sharing our work with the world! This 45-minute TV special covers a range of school safety issues and highlights our youth programming as an example of community-based response. Watch the BRO feature on our blog, and the full segment here.
Implicit Bias Sessions with the NYPD
It’s been especially powerful bringing together the NYPD and our young men in safe spaces. We’ve begun a series of implicit bias workshops with Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) from local precincts and youth from the community.
In our signature BRO Experience way, the group deconstructed Kendrick lyrics, allowing both cops and kids to share authentic truths while finding connection with one another. This Instagram video gives a view into the work.
Our Summer VIBE Program Wraps Up
For seven weeks this summer we worked with 16 young men in Bushwick through the VIBE program. In a safe environment we used discussion, writing, visual art, and music analysis to work on shifting perspectives on life and social constructs. We held a very special culminating event at The BRO Space that we called The Soundtrack of My Life.
You can see their reflections on the depictions of black men in this video on Instagram. Congrats to the young men graduating from this unique track, and we look forward to more cohorts of VIBE.
Check out the workshop photos below...
Theory of Change
Part of growing a mission-driven organization is always refining your core beliefs. For us, this is captured in our Theory of Change, now posted on our website. Our ABC values are at the core:
Authenticity
(clarity of self-worth and honesty about personal challenges)
Bravery
(the courage to be vulnerable and confront the complexities of inner and outer self)
Connection
(the ability to share insights and emotions with peers, mentors, loved ones, and community)
We think the ABCs are good medicine for all of us, and we strive to live by them ourselves. Check out the document and feel free to share it. It will evolve further as we ourselves evolve and grow.
Join the 💯 💪
Here's what we're asking and why
And lastly: a call to action. Please consider joining the growing ranks of our 100 Strong. Our goal is 100 community members who are recurring donors to The BRO Experience. This does two things: it lets us plan for the future financially, and it lets us prove to larger funders that we have the support and confidence of the community we serve. Join the 100 Strong and help us build this organization into what our city so truly needs. Thank you!
