Building Youth--Community Empowerment

 

I began my career as a middle school teacher in 1998. Back then, the environment was challenging because many of the young people in my classes were traumatized by continuous academic failure and doubt. The majority of youth were from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnically diverse (primarily African American and Hispanic). The stress in the learning environment correlated with stress in their systems, their neighborhoods and families. Since then, my professional journey includes work with after-school, community- and school-based programs, and higher education student retention programs.  Through my professional knowledge and work, I aim to engage communities and organizations in addressing the needs of youth through training, program development and evaluation, and research centered on capacity building and empowerment. I operate under the motto "Building youth through community empowerment." This motto reflects my professional skills and knowledge in formal and informal education settings and passion to improve educational attainment among economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse youth. 

 

Building youth centers on the ability to increase their sense of efficacy, connectedness, positive and affirmed identity, and self-concept. Increasing opportunities for youth is achieved by building up the capacity of their community and locality. Their community may include immediate family, extended family, and the organizations and institutions that exist around them. BYCE aims to improve youth and their social ecology through training, community-based research, and participatory approaches. If you wish to contact me about a speaking engagement or program development and evaluation, please contact me via email: dawnxhen@gmail.com.