The Huffington Post – Kimberly Cooper
“Notice how I used the word “connect” over motivate or inspire? For those of us parents and educators in the field of teen advocacy, it may be easy to forget that before we can motivate and inspire teens to reach their potential we actually need to find connection with them first. Along with having my own teenager at home, I’ve had the privilege of working directly with teens across numerous school environments for nearly two decades here throughout Los Angeles. The many hats I’ve worn along this journey range from teaching high school students and after-school tutoring, to facilitating their peer to peer workshops and debates on race and diversity, — to administering juvenile probation re-entry initiatives, school detention programs and mental health services for those students needing support beyond the classroom.”(more)