Invitation to host COSEBOC’s 2018 Gathering of Leaders
The Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color is pleased to announce the Call for Host Site Proposals for the 2018 Gathering of Leaders. Each year we are privileged to have interested school districts, institutions of Higher Learning, governmental agencies and community organizations express their interest in hosting the highly regarded COSEBOC Gathering of Leaders.
In April 2017, the very successful 11th Annual Gathering convened 700 leaders from the sectors mentioned above and 150 boys and young men of color in Austin, Texas. The hosts were the Austin Independent School District, City of Austin, the University of Texas, Huston-Tillotson University and several community organizations. At the conclusion of that event, several representatives from school districts across the country showed interest in hosting the 2018 Gathering of Leaders. At that time, we made public that we would formally announce the invitational process very soon. This is that invitation.
COSEBOC continues to acknowledge our mission to connect, inspire, support and strengthen school, district and community leaders who are invested in the affirmative development of boys and young men of color. In this regard, I am proud to announce the theme for the 2018 Gathering of Leaders will be, Boys and Young Men of Color: Liberated, Empowered and Educated. This theme, we believe, makes a powerful statement about the potential that resides in all students. Coincidentally, the 2018 Gathering also marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the Dreamer, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is also our belief that the Gathering theme and associated activities will present evidence of “The Dream” realized.
I am also pleased to announce the return of our highly acclaimed Young Men’s Passage Program at the 2018 Gathering of Leaders. This event, which runs parallel to the annual event, brings young men together from around the nation and is designed to ignite and affirm the positive narrative essential to their social, emotional, cultural and academic development.
The COSEBOC team invites all interested and potential host applicants to submit an application. We encourage you to assess your commitment to the education of all students and especially boys and young men of color. The decision to submit an application to host a COSEBOC Gathering of Leaders will require human and financial resources. However, beyond these resources, it will require a determined willingness by all interested parties to be bold advocates ready to mobilize support, investment and commitment essential to the overall success of this signature event.
Further, the selected site will also have a significant opportunity to place their collective efforts, conducted in the service of the education of boys and young men of color, on the national stage.
If you have any general questions related to the application submission process or to request the application criteria, please contact Dr. Sandra Spooner, Director of Operations, at (857) 930-4413 or via email at SSpooner@coseboc.org.