Page 2..……………………Doctor Day 2019 Page 3………………………Spotlight on Youth Page 5………………...……College Preview Days
SEPTEMBER 2019 Randall L. Woodfin, Mayor Galvin Billups, Executive Director
1608 7TH AVENUE N | BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203 | PH: (205) 320-0879 | FAX: (205) 297-8139 | www.bhamyouthfirst.org
UPCOMING EVENTS September 8, 2019
September 6-7, 2019
September 11, 2019
September 14, 2019
September 28-29, 2019
JOJO SIWA D.R.E.A.M. THE TOUR
BIRMINGHAM ARTWALK
NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM
2:30 p.m. BJCC Legacy Arena
Historic Loft district
7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.
TAKE A CHILD AND TEEN TO THE DOCTOR DAY
For more info: https://www.bjcc.org/
For more info: https:// birminghamartwalk.org/
Birmingham Promise: Free Tuition for BCS Graduates
For more info: www.911memorial.org
Bill Harris Arena
Birmingham Children's Theatre Times Vary
For more info: www.bhamyouthfirst.org
For more info: http://www.bct123.org/
10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
12 years, they are eligible to receive 100 percent of the tuition-free. The scholarship is on a sliding scale for students who attend BCS schools and live in the city for a shorter amount of time. For instance, if you’re only in the system four years then
“Starting in 2020, any Birmingham City School student that walks across the graduation stage will have the opportunity to attend any in-state two or fouryear school tuition-free. #BirminghamPromise.” ~Mayor Randall Woodfin Mayor Randall Woodfin made this announcement on August 28th. The students must live in the city limits of Birmingham and must attend a Birmingham City School (BCS) to be eligible. If a student is in BCS all 12 years and lives in the city limits all
you only get 4/12th of the tuition free. “We want to make sure that this program is for the children who are in Birmingham and have attended
Birmingham City Schools in fairness, said Mayor Woodfin.” The city will make an initial investment over the next five years of a minimum of $10 million with a majority of the remaining money coming from private donors and fundraisers. You can help support the Birmingham Promise, CLICK HERE to make a donation. The Birmingham Promise is a public-private partnership designed to transform the future of Birmingham’s workforce and re-engineer the architecture of opportunity for Birmingham’s youth. With your help, every Birmingham City Schools' student that graduates can attend a public two or four year Alabama college tuition-free!
2019 “Doctor Day” to provide FREE Health Screenings for Birmingham Youth On Saturday, September 14, 2019, the City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office Division of Youth Services (DYS) will host its annual Take a Child and Teen to the Doctor Day event at the Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham Crossplex. Designed to serve uninsured and underinsured youth up to 18 years old, this FREE community event will be held from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Area youth, accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, can receive health screenings in vision, dental, and general health. The services will be provided by medical staff from Children’s of Alabama, UAB Health System - Department of Pediatrics and Focus First. In addition, Safe Kids Alabama at Children’s of Alabama will be giving away FREE child booster seats for children over 40 lbs. up to 100 lbs. To secure a booster seat, your child must be present for proper fitting. There are a limited number of booster seats and they will be given on a first come first served basis. This is not your ordinary trip to the doctor. While the focus is on providing quality health screenings for youth, there will also be something for the whole family including a new Teen zone! Come enjoy food, games, prizes and much more while helping your child learn healthy living habits which can last a lifetime. For more information about Doctor Day, call DYS at 205-320-0879.
Applications Soon to Close for the 2020 Disney Dreamers Academy Don’t just reach for the stars, touch them! Apply to Disney Dreamers Academy NOW to help your dreams come one step closer to your reality. High school students ages 13 to 19 nationwide can now apply to be among students selected to participate in the 2020 Disney Dreamers Academy. Each spring, 100 exceptional young people arrive at the Disney Dreamers Academy with ambition, excitement and hopes for the future. Four days later, they return home with the motivation, guidance and skills to help make those dreams come. Students participate in hands-on, fullimmersion workshops related to a bevy of career paths, ranging from animation to zoology. Motivational speakers and celebrities share their stories and provide insight on how to achieve success and DREAM BIG. Dreamers have the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other students from across the nation while they gain first
-hand knowledge from Disney experts and worldrenowned entrepreneurs and executives. Disney Dreamers Academy is accepting applications through October 31, 2019 for the Disney Dreamers Academy program. To apply to the Disney Dreamers Academy, visit, www.disneydreamersacademy.com
Making Beautiful Music Mary Elisa Wagner is making beautiful music all across the Magic City. The Altamont School senior has been playing piano competitively most of her life. She started when she was just five years old. “I’m very passionate about it and I love music. I’ve won a lot of competitions in piano,” said Wagner. You may recognize Mary Elisa from the Fox 6 Kids and Jobs Draft competition. She was nominated by her school this past March to take part in the Draft. Students are nominated by their perspective schools to be showcased as the best and brightest in the Magic City. She ended up working with the Birmingham Legion Soccer program this summer, “working at Birmingham Legion FC provided me with the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of a local business that is quickly growing. By working on the field and in the office I gained experience in a wide variety of tasks and I found a new interest in soccer. I greatly thank my school, DYS, and Birmingham Legion for this unique experience,” Wagner explained! Mary Elisa is also very active at her school, participating in Heritage Panel, track and field and the French club. The young pianist is not just talented in the arts but is also a critical thinker, “I’m really interested in something medical and I also just think science is really cool!” said Wagner. Wagner is exploring the option of going to UAB after graduation but is still looking at other options. We believe the sky is really the limit for this outstanding young scholar.
Be there in a hurry!
Mary Elisa Wagner The Altamont School Senior
Stroll, create and enjoy art
FREE and Open to the Public
Paw Patrol Live
Birmingham ArtWalk
Middle Eastern Food Festival
September 13th—15th BJCC Concert Hall
September 6th—7th Historic Loft District
Join PAW Patrol Live as Ryder summons Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma and Everest to rescue Mayor Goodway!
Artwalk is an arts festival that transforms Birmingham’s loft neighborhood into an arts district, featuring the work of more than 100 visual artists, live musicians, street performers, food and drink vendors, and children’s activities.
September 19th —21st Saint George Melkite Greek-Catholic Church
For more info: CLICK HERE
For more info: http://www.birminghamartwalk.org/
Saint George’s 38th Annual Middle Eastern Food Festival features handmade jewelry, Byzantine icons, olive wood artifacts from the Holy Land and a Middle Eastern cookbook featuring recipes of foods sold at the festival. For more info: 205-252-5788
My Block, My Hood, My City, Chicago Students Visit Birmingham
Day of Service Encouraged on 9/11 Honor the victims of 9/11 and those who rose to service in response to the attacks by encouraging
your
family
coworkers
and
friends, to
voluntarily perform at least one good deed, or another service activity during the week of 9/11. Help create a lasting and forward-looking legacy rekindling the spirit of service,
tolerance
compassion
that
unified
immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
United Way Hands On is honoring the victims of 9/11 and
those
who
rose
to
service in response to the attacks by encouraging our community to volunteer.
CLICK HERE to learn how you
can plug into some
awesome
service
opportunities around town.
DYS Deputy Director, David Dada, was also able to give Woodlawn students in Birmingham a similar experience while serving in students affairs at UAB. He was happy the Chicago students also got the chance to experience Woodlawn in Birmingham. “This is such a great opportunity to really connect students from two communities hundreds of miles away with similar history and similar experiences,” said Dada.
More than a dozen students from Chicago, Illinois visited the City of Birmingham in late August. The students were flown to the Magic City as part of the My Block, My Hood, My City organization. The non -profit provides underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood which includes exploration focused Students from Chicago with the My Block, on STEM, arts and My Hood, My City organization visit DYS culture, citizenry and volunteerism, health, community development, culinary arts, and entrepreneurism. DYS was delighted to host the students and help guide their tour of the Magic City. While here they visited the historic Civil Rights District including the 16th
and
America and the world in the
Street Baptist Church and Civil Rights Institute. The group also connected with students from Woodlawn High School here in Birmingham.
Another Caring Example Education was the theme for the August session of Another Caring Example. Families heard from the Mayor’s Office new Director of Educational Advancement, Erica Littleton-Williams. Mrs. Williams talked about her goals and ideas to better help connect the City with the Board of education to align programs and initiatives that really impact students. After Mrs. Williams spoke, students were put to the test in an educational derby. DYS staff helped facilitate the competition that focused on testing the students vocabulary, math skills and knowledge of scientific exploration. Students also received school supplies to be ready for the new school year. Another Caring Example is DYS’ direct serve mentoring initiative that meets monthly in evening sessions. For more information about the program, call DYS at (205) 320-0879.
The students engaged in a round table discussion with DYS staff and talked about how they would like to change the world. We wish the students the best as they return home to Chicago to make a difference in their own neighborhoods.
September is National Childhood Obesity Month The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that about one of every five (19%) children in the United States has obesity and certain groups of children are more affected than others. While there is no single or simple solution, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides an opportunity for learning about ways to prevent and address this serious health concern. Here are some tips on how parents can help prevent obesity and support healthy growth in children:
To help ensure that children have a healthy weight, parents can make sure children get adequate sleep, follow recommendations on daily screen time, take part in regular physical activity, and eat the right amount of calories.
Parents can substitute higher nutrient, lower calorie foods such as fruit and vegetables in place of foods with highercalorie ingredients, such as added sugars and solid fats.
Parents can ensure access to water as a no-calorie alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages.
Parents can help children get the recommended amount of physical activity each day by encouraging them to participate in activities that are age-appropriate and enjoyable. There are a variety of age appropriate aerobic, muscle and bone-strengthening activities that kids can do.
Learn more by visiting: https://www.cdc.gov/features/childhoodobesity/index.html
Parents can serve children fruit and vegetables at meals and as snacks.
2019 Fall College Preview Days Many area colleges are getting set for upcoming fall preview days. These events give junior and senior high school students, along with their parents, an opportunity to find out more about perspective colleges. Below is a brief list of upcoming fall preview days. If you don't see a school listed, contact their admissions department to find out if they have an upcoming preview day scheduled.
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY
https://www.alasu.edu/about-asu/ourcampus
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY Sep 28th 2019 Oct 5th 2019 Nov 11th 2019
www.samford.edu/previewdays/
AUBURN UNIVERISTY September 21, 2019 October 19, 2019 November 9, 2019
http://www.auburn.edu/admissions/visit/
STILLMAN COLLEGE For more info: (205) 349-4240 or admissions@stillman.edu TALLADEGA COLLEGE
www.talladega.edu/students/InpVisit.asp
BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE September 14, 2019 October 14, 2019 November 11, 2019 www.bsc.edu/admission/visit.html
JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY Sep. 7th 2019 Oct. 5th 2019 www.jsu.edu/admissions/preview-day/ index.html
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA September 23, 2019 October 14, 2019 November 11th & 18th, 2019
https://adm.ua.edu/portal/ universitydays
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM October 5, 2019 www.uab.edu/students/admissions/ visit/uab-day
UNIVERSITY OF MONTEVALLO October 12, 2019
https://apply.montevallo.edu/ Ellucian.ERecruiting.Web.External/ Pages/EventDetails.aspx?id=ba5735ddac9d-e911-80df-005056952332 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA November 2, 2019
https://www.una.edu/previewday/
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA October 19, 2019 November 16, 2019
https://www.southalabama.edu/ departments/admissions/usaday.html UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA October 26, 2019 November 9, 2019 https://www.uwa.edu/admissions/ visituwa/2018
UAB Blazer Football Season off to a Great Start
For more information about UAB Football: https://uabsports.com/ schedule.aspx?path=football
Next Home Game Saturday, September 21, 2019 2:30 p.m.
01
Nickelodeon’s JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. The Tour Presented by Party City
September 8th@ The BJCC Legacy Arena Nickelodeon superstar JoJo Siwa is coming to Birmingham! JoJo is a YouTube personality, singer, dancer, entrepreneur, social media influencer, New York Times bestselling author and star on Nickelodeon’s Lip Sync Battle Shorties. She reaches her young fans through her SIWANATOR club, which stands against negativity and bullying; through her global reach of consumer products including her signature bows and accessories.
02
Meet Me On The 50 Presents: Battle for Birmingham Battle of the Bands
September 15th @ Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama – For the first time in history, all six Historically Black College & University Marching Bands from the state of Alabama will face off at Legion Field for an action packed event that will amaze thousands. These musicians and dancers will show and prove why they are among the best of the best in the nation!
03
Fiesta Bham 2019!
September 28th @ Linn Park Fiesta, Alabama’s largest celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage, is pleased to announce its 17th annual festival to take place Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, from noon to 8 p.m. at Birmingham’s Linn Park.
UAB Football is back! The Blazers secured a victory in the home opener against Alabama State University on August 29th. UAB will be back on the gridiron at home when they take on University of South Alabama Jaguars on September 21, 2019 at Legion Field. Kick-off is at 2:30 p.m. Join thousands of fans as they cheer on the home team.
Birmingham Legion Off to a Great Start in Magic City
Visit: https:// www.bhmlegion.com/2019schedule to learn more about how you can see it live.
Birmingham Legion FC is the Magic City’s first and only locally owned and operated professional soccer franchise. The team began its first professional season this spring. The club plays home matches at the newly renovated BBVA Compass Field on the University of Alabama (UAB) campus. Want to get in on all the action?!
National College Career Fair September 15, 2019 BJCC 1 p.m.– 4 p.m. Free and open to the public, National College Fairs are the perfect place to kick off your college search. Admission representatives from schools across the country are all gathered in one place. Their goal: To encourage you to learn more about their institutions, and help you sort through the qualities you’re looking for in a college. Use your visit to: Explore your options. Each fair draws representatives from 175 to 400 colleges. The schools are located throughout the US, and from around the globe.
Ask questions. What’s college life like? What majors are popular on campus? Chatting with representatives from a variety of colleges can help you cement your own preferences. Gather information. Pick up brochures and other materials about the schools that interest you. Ask admission reps to scan your barcode—an easy way to help colleges follow up with you after the fair. For more info: CLICK HERE