Young Minds Matter- GUM students make nationwide impact!

Toby (above) and five other GUM youth participated in Young Minds Matter, a national conference aimed at improving mental health and well-being in young people.They presented on The School to Prison Pipeline, a subject they are passionate about because each has experienced the situation first-hand. For months our students prepared for this opportunity; they conducted research, collected data and prepared their findings. After presenting, our kids took questions from mental health professionals and others in the audience.

The School to Prison Pipeline is a process through which students are pushed out of school and into prison through inequitable exclusionary procedures and practices, like zero tolerance policies, that criminalize rather than educate youth. GUM students discovered that it starts early; Black preschoolers make up 19% of enrollment yet are 47% of students with multiple suspensions. Black students in GISD are 3 to 6 times more likely to be suspended than their peers. And, 61% of Black students were found not ready for college after taking the ACT.

Equipped with this knowledge, our students and staff are now working with teachers, parents and community leaders to help change the system from the inside. They've met with the school board, served on leadership committees and continued to passionately share their research.

We are so proud of our GUM kids for fighting for Galveston youth through community voice so future generations can meet their full potential. To learn more go to www.thefutureisus.co