2022
YEAR IN REVIEW
Student Leaders are Made, Not Born
The Arrow Youth Leadership Council
International began this year on a mission to leave their mark and set new levels of engagement with the community.
Our students come from schools across the metro area, ranging from middle school to high school in Fulton, Fayette, Coweta and other counties, public and private. We are a melody of student voices who come together regularly to learn how using their Mind, Mouth, Heart & Hands can make a positive impact in their schools, neighborhoods and communities.
A Year of Firsts
The Arrows set precedents in rebuilding Black Wall St. 2.0
We focused on addressing four key areas and reflecting on today’s need for improvement for our community.
SOCIAL ECONOMICS
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY SOCIAL JUSTICE SOCIAL WELLNESS
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SOCIAL ECONOMICS
The Arrows have been deeply involved in a 2-year project involving researching the history of the Greenwood community of Tulsa, Oklahoma and the thriving Black community that was destroyed one hundred years ago in the Tulsa Riots that captured the nations attention.
We stressed to the students in their research to focus on the specific things the community collectively focused on in excellence. That was creating and entrepreneurship climate, meeting their own needs as a community and spending their dollars locally.
The success of that process then inspired our students to work together with leaders in our existing South Fulton Chamber of Commerce and brought to fruition the launching of the first Junior South Fulton Chamber of Commerce with several Arrows and area students participating on the board. They will provide leadership and encouragement to young entrepreneurs in creating a new economic base supporting our community.
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
ThewinterLiteracyFestivalwasheldat StonewallTellElementarySchoolinCollege Park,GAinFebruarywithelementary,middle andhighschoolsstudentsattendingavariety ofyoungauthorssessions,bookreading, poetryrecitationsandgreatfellowshiparound promotingliteracyatalllevels.
InAprilof2022theArrowscontinuedthe traditionofourSpringbreakCollegeRoadtrip tohistoricaleducationinstitutionsleaning towardHBCU’sandothers.Wetraveledwest toJacksonStateUniversity,TougalooCollege, GramblingUniversity,MilsapsCollege,Wiley College,PaulQuinCollege,andaspecialtrip toTulsa,OKtowalkthestreetsofthefamed Greenwooddistrict.Itwasjustoneofseveral historicmuseumsofAfricanAmericanhistory wealwaysincludesothatstudents understandthestrugglemorefully.We completedourcircuitvisitingPhilanderSmith CollegeinArkansasandLemoyne-Owen CollegeinMemphis,TN.
Fourseniorstudentsreceivedscholarship offersasexpected.Thisisatrendforthelast3 collegeroadtripsandallofthestudentswere impactedbywhattheylearnedabout themselvesandthepathtotheirhopesand dreams.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
July’s Summer Institute led the Arrow students to not only continue to re-establish the Black Wall St. 2.0 by sponsoring the Jr. chamber, but chose to launch the Black Lenz website and e-store and initiating the upcoming Film Festival to inspire independent student film makers to tell their unique stories...through a Black Lenz.
This leadership will become more impactful and influential as the Arrows share their norms for an equitable society. We are including a copy of the Arrow’s Constitution proscribed by the leaders to right the wrongs of our society in very specific ways as a reflection of the values held by the enclave called the District of GenezIs, the goal of these leaders of Generation Z.
SOCIAL WELLNESS
December opened with our Atlanta metro-wide, anti-violence rally and Peace Championship part of the 5th annual PLAY4PEACE ATL event held at the Gateway Arena in College Park, GA.
Over 120 students participated in the empowerment sessions including a session for parents as a part of the Peace initiative. We partnered with other anti-violence and anti-gang focused youth organizations including HW3 Foundation and others to create an environment focused on celebrating peace and positive fellowship in spite of the gun violence so prevalent in the news recently.
Visit www.thesfayc.org/play4peace for our Peace Pledge created and led by the Arrows as an affirmation for how we can create the community we want to live in.
BULLSEYE SUMMER STEAM CONSERVATORY
2022Students enjoyed a phenomenal summer participating in Bullseye Summer Conservatory which featured e-Sports and other STEAM activities throughout our summer experiences that included a variety of projects involving vocal music, math, sports and a youth orchestra in the closing program.
WHAT'S NEXT
Arrow student leaders pledge to continue in the work of inspiring others to collectively work together & develop solutions to the problems of our community and improve the lives of all families by advocating and working toward meaningful changes. We are looking forward to the annual College Road Trip 2023 which will see the students speaking to the members of Congress in our nation’s capital and sharing their constitution. More greatness to come. We earnestly appreciate your support. Please go to our website at www.thesfayc.org for more information about our programs and sponsors. Leadership is what we do and what our students demonstrate every day.