 This is just a significant moment for those of us who know that there's a term called intangibles. Intangible, those things that are not commonly seen, but are very much attached to the educational experience. And far too often, we go in and we want our children to be academically smart and not emotionally intelligent. By the time they sit in the classroom, their experience to get there is different from other students. When you're leaving a household where you didn't understand if you were going to have a meal or not, if you just experienced violence the day before, if you are dealing with some learning issues, just some emotional issues. And by the time a little Bob Kim gets in the classroom, he has to navigate all of those things so that he can start the process of learning. And that has been historically ignored. We constantly ask, why can't Johnny read because maybe Johnny has mismail cramps, or maybe Johnny just lost his friend or loved one the day before because of gun violence. And no one dealt with those intangibles, those external things that impact the internal learning experience. Well, today, Chancellor Banks and his team and the partners from all of these local community-based organizations that have been historically locked out of the educational experience, today we have pivot and we have opened the doors to the entire village to educate our children. This is a significant change in how we educate in the city. And it's quite different than what you have witnessed in the past. And I cannot thank the chancellor enough for seeing the importance of this to some of the men and women who have been here for years saying that we could do a better job and produce a better qualitative product than what we have seen over and over and over again. And today with Project Pivot, we are going upstream to prevent the downstream problems that we are facing, an upstream approach to education, an upstream approach to violence, an upstream approach to dealing with the issues that our young people are facing all over the city in general, but specifically black and brown communities. There is no greater abandonment and betrayal than the $38 billion we spend every year and people are eating off the dysfunctionality of our children and they have normalized that our children can't learn, normalized that our children can't learn and we say no to that. So this project will bring community-based organizations into our schools to connect with young people at a pivotal moment in their development through counseling, mentoring, violent interruptions, intervention and turn towards reaching, these young people turning them towards reaching their full potential. We're thinking about our children and the right they have to succeed like all children have that right to succeed in the long run, we will keep them safe and keep their schools safe. But safety is not a police job, it is a village job and the village is here today. And don't be frightened by the drum beats, it's all right. It's all right. You know, the drums are waking in our spirits and we understand that and what we must fully understand, we cannot be afraid to do the things that work. We can't be afraid because it doesn't fit into the traditional pathway of education. The traditional pathway got us 65% of black and brown children never reaching proficiency. The traditional pathway got 30% of our children at Rikers Island being dyslexic. The traditional pathway has failed us. We are now going over the traditional pathways of how we have a full scope of empowering every aspect of our children of their full development and completely acknowledging that. We're gonna bring CBOs who are also going to maximize the use of our school buildings. Talked about this all the time. 7 a.m., 3 a.m., 3 p.m., we tell our children welcome, 3 p.m., we say get out and don't come back. No, that changes. We're going to do what we did in Brooklyn with extended use. We're gonna find the dollars to keep our school builders open so we can use the gymnasiums, the classrooms, the swimming pool and some of our builders, the fields that they can use. And so it is imperative that we acknowledge the fullness of what we're doing to develop the fullness of our children. And the five pillars of Pivot, Project Pivot, Pivot, those five pillars are Purpose, Integrity, Voice, Optimism and Tenacity. We tear down tenacity and we dim the lights of our children because they want to be tenacious. We look at it as being too brash, too outspoken, that is part of the spirit that they may have. You know, being outspoken does not mean that you don't have a full understanding of what you're doing. There was an outspoken third grader and PS 140 Queens. Now we call him the mayor of the city of New York. Being outspoken, being outspoken. And so I just want to turn the mic over to the chancellor. I noticed it's just an important day for him because this is something that he envisioned and to see a vision materialize and come to full use is what you always ask for. You know, I'm so proud of this chancellor and his team and all of these men and women who I've soldiered with for years. We fought for me to become the mayor so that we could implement these programs that no one thought about before. And so give yourselves a hand. Give our chancellor a hand. Let's pivot in the right direction. Chancellor Bay. There's an old adage that it takes a village to what? Raise a child. It takes a village to raise a child. Is the village here today? Yes, sir. Is the village here today? Yeah. Give yourselves a big round of applause. The village is here. It's important that the village is here. That's right. Because for far too many of our young people, they have had experiences which have not affirmed who they really are. It's important that we note for all of New York and all of America to represent, these grounds that we are making this announcement from are hollow grounds. This is the African burial grounds. Africans who were brought here through the middle passage who survived slavery, who were directed to help build America. And build New York. And build these very streets that we are on right now. We know who we are. We know what our history is. Far too many of our young people have no idea the history that has brought us all to where we are. And that is a history that everybody needs to know. Black children, white children, Asian children, Latinx children, we all need to know not only the history of the African story, but that all of us have made contributions to this place that we call America and this place that we call New York City. Today, you see the representation primarily of the African American experience here. And I hope that you get a good picture of this because this is not something that you will see on a daily basis. These are community-based organizations representing every borough in New York City who have come together to say that old narrative that our children cannot learn, that our children cannot achieve, we do not accept that. That's right, that's right. We do not accept that. We know that excellence is who we really are and what we're supposed to be about. And each one of these groups is going to help us to get there. We've got groups here today like Elite Learners. Love Mentoring, the Emoja Network, Focus Broadcasting Network. And my own organization, 100 Black Men. There are many more organizations and some others will be mentioned in just a moment, but I think the important point to note here is that we talk often about safety and many of these organizations are gonna provide a deeper level of safety in our schools. Some of them are gonna be providing mentoring. They're gonna be big brothers and big sisters to our boys and our girls. They're a whole host of resources that they're going to bring to these schools. We've identified 138 schools, some of the most challenged schools in the city who are crying out for additional supports, additional resources. They have children in their schools who are brilliant. They are every bit as talented as any other child. They just need the additional supports and the supports are gonna be provided through Project Pivot. The mayor told you what each one of the letters actually stands for, but just the very notion to pivot, to shift from one position to another. And that is why all of these organizations are here today. I am so thrilled to be a part of this because I am a part of this broader community. My being the chancellor at the appointment of our Mayor Adams, but I'm the representation of everyone that you see behind me. They are the ones who sent me here. They are the ones who gave me this assignment. And I'm very clear about that. And I wanna ask at this moment that a woman who has been out here for our community for decades, she is the epitome of beauty, grace, and excellence. Many of you know her. Many years is the face of essence. And her essence, her own personal essence is beauty, integrity, and a woman that we love. She is our queen. Her organization is here as part of this group, National Mentoring Cares. And I ask that she come today to speak on behalf of all the organizations who are here today to tell you why this moment is so critically important. Please welcome our very own, our queen, Ms. Susan Taylor. Thank you, Chancellor Banks and thank you, Mr. Mayor. I am here, you know, for many years I would have been where you, the press are. But 37 years I served at Essence, 27 as the chief editor, traveling certainly the world, but absolutely the country. But I'd never really looked in the faces of young people who were homeless and hungry. Homeless maybe, but not hungry. And then Katrina devastated New Orleans and I said to the Essence family, we just can't go back and have a festival as we've had it before. We have to do more. We have to make sure that we insure the children. And I'm standing here before the women and men behind me because we are privileged black people. We all know where we're spending the night, not a grace of managing with you, but we all know where we're spending the night. We're here because somebody might not have been a parent and you're here at the press. I'm speaking to you all because somebody had a hand at your back. So we didn't get here by ourselves, but there were children in this city and in this nation, in this world whose parents are not able, who don't have those supplemental supports that moved us to this place and we owe something big time for the privilege that we have. We don't have to move from our residences without asking you to go into your pockets. What I'm asking the press to do is to understand as a media person, I know how tragedy, blame, shame, sell. Those are the things that people are addicted to. You're addicted to scandal. And I'm asking the press to open your hearts. We see white children and Latinx children. We see Asian children. We see other children, children from throughout the world as our children. That's just the black consciousness. That's just who we are. We serve everybody. The National Care's Measuring Movement, which I founded as Essence Cares, is serving from Seattle to San Diego, Boston to Miami. In some places, we're in detention centers. We have more Latinx children in some than we do black children, which is surprising to me. And I'll tell you what a young man said to me, Mr. Mayor, this is in the Alameda County Correction Facility. He said, you're here, you say because you care? I'm here today because I care. I'm good. I don't have to do this, but I have to do it. I have to do it because too few people care about poor black children or struggling black children. They are named, they are shamed, they are really blamed for the societal failures. And we attach those failures to them. And all the crime that we see every night on the nightly news and you know the stations you're affiliated with, I ask you to be bold and step up and say, can we begin with something else? Because that's not the truth of who we are. And those narratives become the truths for some people and the lens through which they judge black people when we show up at school, when we show up for work. And I'm asking you to open your hearts as media people. Yeah, you're in the media, but you're a human being and to really have a caring spirit and to realize something if you all knew, as the Chancellor said, our history, if our children knew their history, trust me, you wouldn't have the crime in our communities and cities that you have. This is not the rough side of the mountain. If you knew the history, you'd know about the Middle Passage, three months in the hulls of ships, in our menses and our feces, in our urine, and then on auction blocks, limbs, genitals, breasts cut off. I mean, the brutality, I understand why America has a difficult time telling the truth of this history. We have to understand that, but you have to know it. Because when you know it, then you're gonna have respect and compassion. You're a human being, so you're more than a mind. Our children are more than minds, they're also hearts. And we are, as you said earlier, this is the cavalry. We are here because we care. And we are here to ensure that our children have a bridge. I am a bridge. I can have access to people in high places, and I'm not ashamed or afraid of us. I grew up in the community, I'm not afraid of my people. I'm standing for my people, with my people, and we need you to understand that and do that with us as well. Pebbles in a bag, that's who we are. Pebbles in a bag, polishing one another. Pebbles in a bag, polishing one another. So we're working in concert, and I ask that you give the kind of support that we need to make New York City the safe city I grew up in, the safe Harlem I grew up in, the hardest workers behind us. It's a caring heart and a plan, and we have a plan. And I ask you to amplify that as stations amplify all the negatives. Let's amplify the positive and move our children forward. Thank you. We want to, at this time, many of these groups have been meeting for many, many months now. And the person who has been the coordinator who has brought everybody together and has been the leader for this group, please give it up. And I want to hear from everybody here, because you know he's been the guy who's been driving this work. Brother Aaron Barnett. Greetings to you all, and thank you very much for coming out to join us on this historic, for this historic announcement. First, I would like to thank my colleagues from the New York City Public Schools Office of Safety and Prevention Partnerships, Division of Contracting and Purchasing, and the Office of Community Supports and Wellness for their collaborative efforts and dedication to getting Project Pivot off the ground. On behalf of the thousands of students who will benefit from this initiative, thank you. Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated. A well-known African proverb says, the child who was not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. And unfortunately, far too many of our young people have been crying out for help and showing us their pain in a variety of ways. But the village has regrouped and been assembled. We stand here today in solidarity, ready to embrace our youth, answer their calls for help, and equip them with the warmth that strong communities embody. We have called, we have phenomenal groups who are eager to support students at these 138 various Project Pivot sites, such as Aim High International, Hsu Bakari, Kavi, Brothers Redefining Opportunities, and the 100 Black Men of New York who do outstanding work in mentoring young people, providing them with the rights of passage experience where they receive guidance, advice, and support from a caring, committed adult. We have called for organizations ready to support our young people with career awareness and professional skills development, like Black Girls Rock, that suits you, 500 men making a difference, and the Gentleman's Factory, who expose our students to various career fields and professional mentors who can teach skills and provide first-hand insight, advice, and guidance as our students move towards graduation in the pursuit of their career goals. Through Project Pivot, we also will engage several community groups who focus on the safety of our students as the Chancellor alluded to, among whom include Guns Down, Lives Up, Wheel Chairs Against Guns in the Bronx, Street Corner Resources in Manhattan, Man Up in Brownsville, Think Tank in Brooklyn, Groups Like King of Kings, Life Camp in CCD in Queens, and we certainly can't forget about True to Life and Council for Unity on Staten Island, just to name a few. These and many other violence-interrupted groups have all stepped up to say they are ready to join us in our collective efforts to reach and engage those young people most in need of our support while also helping us ensure we have safe passage corridors for our students to travel to and from school. But this group gets deeper. Self-expression of emotions through the performing and visual arts has proven to be instrumental for our young people during this difficult time. And community groups such as Changing Perceptions Theater, Song of Solomon, and Generation Verb create pathways for students to express themselves positively through the arts. Whether it be leadership development opportunities from outstanding groups like I Will Graduate and the Browns Youth Empowerment Program, Financial Awareness and Literacy from organizations like World of Money and the Book Me Foundation or Recreational Programs that use sports to engage our young people like Active Plus, the Khan-Colbert-Tiger Alliance, Academics in Motion and Bridging the Gap. All of these offerings will keep our students involved in quality enrichment activities that promote healthy lifestyles. We have enlisted organizations such as Real Dads Network, Fathers Forward, and a father's love to assist in creating opportunities and activities to promote more involvement and engagement of dads and father figures in our school communities. Through this initiative, we want to broaden the interests of our participants and have identified program options of their choice and interests intended to stretch their imaginations and see beyond what they typically might experience. Programs such as culinary arts from prospective partners like the EAT Foundation, competitive chess with the project porn urban chess mentoring program or web design and podcast development from the media professionals at J-City Enterprises. These are all activities that can serve as a motivating factor for many disengaged students for a proverbial carrot to increase student achievement when properly aligned with effective systems of communication, clear school expectations and consistent student accountability that is restorative in nature and allows for reflection and growth. That's right, that's right. These are just a small sample of the types of quality programs we are planning for our students to ensure they make healthy decisions for themselves and their communities. We have many, many more organizations today and we are deeply appreciative of them all and for their commitment to excellence for our young people. The contributions and shared experiences provided to our students through Project Pivot will all be aligned to the character building pillars this initiative is built on. Once again, thank you to everyone for coming out today and supported this movement to holistically support our students and provide them with the resources they need to tap into their greatness it is our time it is our village to move forward together for the benefit of our students our families and our communities what time is it? It's pivot time. And this is a perfect transition to really the stars of the hour you see those fine young men that are standing right here make sure the press gets a picture of them these young men in certain ties and so I'd like to bring down the student representative to speak on behalf of our students Ryan Ryan Vasquez, come on down let's give it up for Ryan. Good morning Mayor Adams, Chancellor Banks elected officials, school officials parents and community partners I'm Ryan Vasquez 2022 MBK fellow to the Bronx and a proud senior to Ford and Pasco for the arts when I think of a community I think of it like a music ensemble working together to create beautiful music for everyone to hear schools are the instruments of any community and without proper care and collaboration amongst your musicians music isn't possible when the pandemic hit me and my peers and many of our communities in New York City we fell apart and even though we are back in school full time many of us both students and adults are still feeling the impact of the pandemic this is why Project Pivot is such a timely and needed program and not only our lives but our schools Project Pivot aims to provide that additional support to students in order to nurture them towards success and becoming their greatest selves Project Pivot plans to support shifting outcomes for students across the city by engaging and utilizing community partners as well as providing additional resources to schools on campuses across New York City to do joint programming and build a stronger sense of community I am so excited that the program is here and here now our schools and cities are in desperate needs of need of a pivot and our high school students like myself, my MBK brothers and students in pivot schools across the city this initiative is going to support in doing just that thank you again to the mayor Chancellor and the bills at large for your commitment to me my community and many others across the city I'm Ryan Vasquez and I know we can do this and I know we will do this thank you that's Ryan Vasquez before all of your peers across this city we're going to end this moment here today but I want to just take a moment to personally say to each one of you organizations who are here today I cannot thank you enough I feel a debt of gratitude to each one of you for taking the time, the effort, the energy for taking your treasure, your talent and all that you have to offer on behalf of the children of New York City they need us now more than ever they need you now more than ever so let's get busy so I bless you everybody thank you