Dr. Ulric Johnson, a renowned teacher in the field of gang prevention and urban sociology, will be giving a chapel address on March 14th to the Episcopal Academy community. Dr. Johnson is the founding director of Teens Against Gang Violence, a peer leadership, youth and family program which helps combat gang violence by teaching teens to be effective role models of non-violence in their communities. He is an award winning teacher at the Harvard Education School where he teaches a module on violence prevention and peaceable schools and is a founding board member of the Center for Peaceable Schools at Lesley University. Currently he serves as the Dean of the School of Human Services for Springfield College, Boston Campus. Dr. Johnson is a regular presenter at Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI), where many Episcopal students have heard him speak.
GYLI is a non-profit organization that offers leadership programs for schools around the world. Daniel Clay, theatre director at Episcopal and school coordinator for GYLI, said, “GYLI is a three year program that starts the summer after freshman year. Students who have leadership potential are nominated by faculty. Each group goes on a trip that is site-specific.” According to GYLI’s website, “Our unique, hands-on approach to global issues — collaborative leadership, religious pluralism, multicultural identity, and environmental sustainability — transforms, inspires and empowers young people to create positive change in their schools and communities.”
One of the main obligations of GYLI is the Leader Learning Plan or LLP that all GYLI groups must complete. According to GYLI’s website, “The LLP is GYLI’s transfer tool from the unique learning locations we offer back to the home schools and home communities. We require that all students complete an LLP every year, and we offer support, guidance and prodding in that process.”
This year, one of four GYLI groups at Episcopal decided to have Dr. Ulric Johnson speak in chapel to complete their LLP. This group includes Paige Dunlap ’14, Lolo Lomax ’14, Jimmy Larkin ’14, and Kayla Coleman ’14. Dunlap said, “Our LLP was to have Dr. Johnson come back to school and teach our community about identifying yourself and accepting others through understanding yourself.”
Lomax explained that her GYLI group chose multiculturalism as the subject of their LLP. “We thought Ulric Johnson would be good for multiculturalism. He helps people to feel more comfortable with their identity so that it becomes easier for everyone to interact with each other,” said Lomax.
Dr. Johnson will discuss the 5 C’s of awareness, which include color, culture, class, character, and context in his chapel address. Courtney Portlock, Director of Diversity Life said, “I’m excited about hearing from Dr. Johnson because over the last few years, I’ve heard student excitement about the inspirational message of Dr. Ulric Johnson when they come back to EA after their first year in GYLI.”
Katherine Thorn, Upper School Biology teacher and the faculty leader for this GYLI group said, “I’m really excited to have him come, he’s a really inspiring speaker.”
While GYLI leaders and faculty help the students achieve their LLP, it is ultimately the students’ responsibility to follow through with the project. Clay said, “I’m really proud of this GYLI group for really taking what they learned at the summer institutes and putting it into action in the community.”
And getting Dr. Johnson to speak at Episcopal proved to be no easy job. “It’s taken us since August and September to get him to come and speak,” Dunlap said.
Portlock proudly added, “This has all been student driven.”
The GYLI group is excited to bring Dr. Johnson to Episcopal to share the lessons they have learned through their training with the whole community. Thorn said, “It’s a great way to bring everyone into this discussion of multiculturalism.”