Doors Opening at Humanities Amped

Amped family, we are thrilled to introduce to you the newest member of the Amped team, Dr. Leslie T. Grover! Dr. Grover brings to her work as Program Director two decades of experience in youth programming, indigenous research, social justice organizing, curriculum development, and community engagement. She is an avid social justice scholar and has published extensively in the fields of race equity, health equity, and community engagement. In 2016 she was appointed as an Interdisciplinary Research Leader with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as community outreach specialist for U.S.-Cuban relations. She is also a creative writer, and her first novel debuts in Fall 2022. 

What are you looking forward to in your new role at Humanities Amped?
I'm looking most forward to working with everyone to create socially aware leaders and to learn from students. I'm also looking forward to being part of a movement to bring the power of stories, creativity, and equity to this community.

Why does the mission of Humanities Amped matter to you? 
This mission matters because creativity and the ability to tap fearlessly into that energy can change the world. “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” James Baldwin once said that. The mission of HA is fighting against these power structures.

Dr. Grover's enthusiasm for the work is contagious, and we are so grateful for the expertise and compassion she carries. As Program Director Dr. Grover will plan and implement initiatives like Community Care to provide social and emotional learning and restorative supports, as well as dynamic leadership opportunities, to the students we serve.

The start of each new school year is always a busy time for us, and 2021 has certainly been no exception. The East Baton Rouge Public School System’s new social and emotional learning initiative fits so well with Amped’s commitments to healing centered and culturally responsive learning, that they’ve asked us to create a social and emotional learning community lab school. Humanities Amped is excited to share with you that we are now in residence at Broadmoor Senior High School! 

As you know, our work can only thrive in community, and this move to a single school site means that we will be able to work deeply with students, teachers, administrators, and families, as well as EBRPSS, to realize the vision of a community lab school for social and emotional learning. Over the last month we have engaged with faculty and staff to begin drafting a vision for what we’re calling Broadmoor’s radical imagination of what education can and should be, and we look forward to the start of Amped Studio Afterschool in which we invite students to to transform the world, through project-based action research, and to transform themselves, through tutoring and supports.

We have also been hard at work making our space in the Broadmoor Galley warm and welcoming. We are enthusiastic about the district’s and Broadmoor’s commitment to social-emotional learning and look forward to building with our new Broadmoor family! ​

If you would like to support the mission of Humanities Amped by giving, we invite you to follow the link below. Your contributions will help us to continue to transform our space on Broadmoor's campus and develop our programming.

Donate

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What's New at Humanities Amped

We’re hiring for two positions: Program Manager (full-time) and Program Leader (part-time, Amped Alumni preferred). Send your cover letter and resume to hiring@humanitiesamped.com by September 17 to apply.