TYWLS & Riley’s Way Foundation: Helping Grow Kind Leaders
“Riley’s Way motivates me to make a difference. It has been the first step to growing as both a person and a student. Joining Riley’s Way is one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Phoebe, senior at The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria.
Here at Student Leadership Network, we strive to equalize access to educational opportunities for students growing up in underserved communities. By showing students what’s possible for them, they’re inspired to dream big and use education as a tool in creating their own path to becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
Our longtime partners at Riley’s Way Foundation also share our passion for supporting and empowering student leaders. Dedicated to centering student voices, Riley’s Way creates space for students to learn that kindness is an important skill in becoming an effective leader and making a difference in the world. Their values of empathy, kindness, connection, and leadership act as guideposts and are the catalysts for empowering the students that they serve. We believe this is incredibly important in a world that can at times be cold and difficult for young people.
“We have a dream partnership. SL Network’s students, teachers, and leadership are living the mission of Riley’s Way – making the world a kinder place – and it’s an absolute joy and honor to work together in such a meaningful and purposeful way,” shared Lauren Shenkman, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Riley’s Way Foundation. In honor of Kindness Week (Febuary 14-18), we are excited for this opportunity to turn the spotlight on Riley’s Way and highlight how they are spreading intentional kindness and empathy throughout The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) community and beyond.
Councils: A Future of Kind Leaders
Kindness Week is a time to celebrate and act intentionally with kindness, but it also gives us a chance to look toward the future of a world led by leaders who use kindness and empathy to create change. Many of our TYWLS students are already working towards changes through Riley’s Way Councils. Councils are groups made up of students from public and private high schools which help build bridges and foster meaningful connections between young people in the community.
While each Council has the support of a faculty mentor, all meetings and projects are organized and led by the council members themselves. They plan and lead workshops on self-care and social issues like inequity in education, as well as organize bonding events such as movie nights so everyone has a chance to hang out and have fun together.
Jessica Taylor, TYWLS East Harlem teacher, and longtime Riley’s Way mentor says, “Students have so many wonderful ideas and they just need someone to guide their thoughts. It’s a joy to see their excitement in creating events and projects.” Allison Gaia, who also serves as a mentor to the Councils adds that part of supporting the students is to give and hold space. “I have really learned to step back sometimes and let the students figure it out! I appreciate how much effort Riley’s Way takes to ensure students’ voices are centered.”
It’s not only the students who get a chance to grow and learn through the council involvement. Faculty mentors often come away from the experience having grown themselves. Allison Ritz, TYWLS Bronx teacher, shares, “I feel such gratitude to Riley’s Way staff for how their facilitation talents continually influence my own teaching practice and provide models for the students.”
The Councils are a powerful forum for students to grow and learn as a collective. Tiara, a senior at TYWLS Astoria, says that being part of Riley’s Way doesn’t even feel like an extracurricular activity. “It feels like a family I look forward to planning, spending time with and learning from.” She adds that being involved has helped her grow her toolbox of skills. “My next chapter is college and in more ways than one, Riley’s Way has given me the skills of kindness, compassion, drive, and opportunities [which] help me feel more comfortable expressing my ideas and dedicating my time to anything I set my mind to.”
Answering the Call for Kindness
In 2019, Riley’s Way launched Call for Kindness, a leadership development fellowship that offers young people an opportunity to join a community of other young people to support each other while developing leadership and life skills. Call for Kindness also gives students a chance to win up to $3,000 for a project that inspires kindness and change. These projects can tackle anything from equity to social justice to community-building initiatives at school and beyond. Read about two past Call for Kindness projects led by TYWLS students.
Call for Kindness 2020: RPRSNTD.
When Nicole was a student at TYWLS East Harlem, she noticed a lack of representation in the books she read and wondered if others felt the same as her. Moved to make a change, Nicole rallied her peers and teachers at TYWLS to form a book club promoting representation and critical thinking.
In the meantime, Nicole was also involved with Riley’s Way Councils where she met and became fast friends with Amber from Nightingale Bamford School. Nicole and Amber shared a yearning to be seen and represented in the books they were exposed to and those that were a part of their school curriculums. Based on the success of the book club that Nicole had formed at TYWLS East Harlem, they conceived and launched RPRSNTD which went on to become a Call for Kindness winner in 2020.
The project creates a virtual space for young adults across the country to connect, celebrate, and better understand underrepresented stories in an accessible way. Learn more about RPRSNTD and their mission.
Call for Kindness 2021: Tech Inclusion Project
Thanks to the rigorous emphasis on STEM education at TYWLS, Tamanna and Sasha have had the space to pursue their interests in coding and technology but after seeing that not all students have access to STEM resources and education, they were motivated to found Tech Inclusion Project.
Tech Inclusion Project aspires to develop a student-led cooperative space to exchange knowledge and learn about the technology industry. To help bring their idea to reality, Tamanna and Sasha looked to their mentors and TYWLS Astoria teachers, Allison Gaia and Andy Jordan, for guidance. Allison says one of her favorite parts of being a mentor to this project is witnessing the process as well as the students’ determination. “It has been wonderful seeing their project go from merely an idea to a fully designed proposal. With the pandemic, the students have run into some unexpected challenges, but they are motivated to problem solve and figure it out to ensure they meet their goals.”
Since being named a winner of Call for Kindness in 2021, Tech Inclusion Project has been hard at work building out tech programs for their peers as well as their online presence through their website and social media. They are also creating an app called Techsify which will connect students interested in tech with professionals working in the field. Learn more about Tech Inclusion Project on Instagram and Linkedin.
Our Shared Hope for the Future
Through our and Riley’s Way programs, the students we work and connect with are gaining access to higher education at improved rates while going on to become intentional, kind, and confident leaders on their campuses and in their workplaces.
Together, we are working to change the faces of leadership and as we’ve seen firsthand from our student leaders, we remain incredibly hopeful for our future as does Tiara who finds hope in her peers.
“Being surrounded by other teens who also want to make the world a kinder place not only inspires me to continue my work but also gives me hope that it will happen one day.”
Meet the young people who have answered this year’s Call for Kindness! We are proud to have signed the Call for Kindness Partnership Pledge in support of this amazing initiative and you can, too. Join us and sign the pledge! Visit RileysWay.org to learn more about how they are building a future of kind, intentional leadership.
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