92Y Launches Young Leaders Series For Schools Nationwide

As educators and communities nationwide rush to figure out what learning will look like this fall, 92Y has a solution available to schools, whether remote or in person: Young Leaders Series.

It's a curriculum-based, event subscription series for schools, connecting students in grades 3-12 with leading cultural figures who appear on 92Y's storied (virtual) stage as part of our public programming. The series is produced by 92Y's Center for Arts Learning & Leadership, a division which long has offered comprehensive arts in education and career readiness initiatives for students.

The Young Leaders Series event packages and their attendant curriculum materials are organized by age group: Elementary (grades 3-5); Middle School (grades 6-8), and High School (9-12) and are offered across the following disciplines: Entertainment and the Arts; Politics and Public Policy; Science and Medicine; History and Religion. More information here.

Presenters and Topics:

*Award-winning author/playwright Zadie Smith on life in quarantine

*Tap dance troupe Dorrance Dance on the legacy of tap dance

*Six-Time Grammy Winner Christian McBride on Jazz, a uniquely American art form

*Zoologist turned cartoonist/author Jess Keating on getting in touch with your inner scientist

*NY Philharmonic clarinetist Anthony McGill on performing chamber music

*Activist Amanda Litman on the tools you need to make real, societal change

*Poet Claudia Rankine on communicating across the racial divide in America

*Writer, professor, social commentator Roxane Gay celebrates poet Audre Lorde

*Cuban saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera on Latin Jazz

*Choreographer and Artist Shamel Pitts and his collective, TRIBE, on choreography & improvisation

*Memoirist Casey Gerald on social inequality in America

*World-renowned musician Sharon Isbin on classical guitar

*Innovative musical ensemble The Knights on breaking down barriers between audience and performer

*Bestselling author David Mitchell on getting your start as a creative writer

Schools are invited to choose events taking place in one discipline or across disciplines in each semester. 92Y's flexible, à la carte model invites principals and educators to pick and choose event packages for different classrooms and grades across their schools. There is no event minimum. The Young Leaders Series offers:

• Direct access to leading figures in a range of humanities areas via live virtual meetings exclusively for participating classrooms

• Access to the event with the featured presenter-via livestream from 92Y's virtual stage or via on-demand video from our archive

• Lessons led by experts in the field, live and/or via pre-recorded video
• Study guides for classroom teachers, to introduce students to the featured presenter and the work under study

Through participation in the Series, students will be able to:

• Engage in civic dialogue and discussion on a range of important topics with leading figures in politics and public policy, science and medicine, history and religion, entertainment and the arts -- as well as with their peers from across the country.

• Discover their own artistic and intellectual passions through study of the content and concepts explored by the featured presenters

• Produce original works -- poetry, essays, choreography, music compositions -- inspired by the virtual programs they attend / artists they engage with and which will be published on 92Y's website

• Observe, create, critique and explore the issues embedded in various art forms and forums to prepare to participate fully in determining the future of their world

For more information on Young Leaders Series, and to register, go here.

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