Mosaic Project
The MOSAIC Project was designed to enhance information access and utilization for youth and families residing in Central Brooklyn. As its name suggests, a MOSAIC is a picture or design made up of smaller pieces of stone, colored pieces and or tile to form a work of art. Experience and research inform us that highly effective schools and communities are made up of many components all working together to create a functional whole. In other words, they do several things well at the same time.
MOSAIC Project has the following three components:
* Enhancing the education reform knowledge base of parents and caregivers;
* Influencing systemic policies, decision making and practice; and
* Utilizing information systems to enhance opportunities for success.
Enhancing the education reform knowledge base of parents and caregivers
ASI conducted three Connecting to Quality (CTQ) Parent Saturday Sessions, during the Fall of 2013. These leveled sessions (early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school) focused on the following topics:
o Providing standards based activities at home and in the community;
o Accessing resources to supplement and/or remediate academic skills;
o Helping my child through a crisis; o Supporting successful development through the non-cognitive skills; and
o Making education decisions making that promote youth success.
Influencing systemic policies, decision making and practice
The essential elements of this strategy are: partnerships, cultural relevance, community accountability, and opportunity. ASI:
• created and disseminated a Community Stakeholder Report that presents ideas, solutions and recommendations on matters vital to the total health of the community;
• developed and disseminated the ASI Community Engagement Toolkit that contains information on a replicable model for community action and advocacy; and
• devised a partnership zone design plan consisting of the business community, faith-based community, CBOs, educational institutions, civic organizations, and cultural organizations / institutions and local / state-wide agencies to support activities aimed at protecting and preparing children, youth, and families for their roles and responsibilities in the 21st century; and convene the following two community-based public forums:
1. Forum one: To bring community stakeholders together to present and reach consensus on the Community Stakeholder Report. and discuss important issues,
2. Forum two: To challenge 2013 mayoral candidates and policy decision-makers to create community-endorsed, solution-based approaches contained in the Stakeholder Report and Action Plan.
Utilizing information systems to enhance opportunities for success
ASI designed an information access strategy for youth and families residing in Central Brooklyn that included:
o identifying and selecting five Central Brooklyn high schools;
o recruiting and selecting MOSAIC adult advisors from selected school staff and parent leader volunteers;
o conducting three hours training on the iMap America Standards Based Curriculum and Mapping for all adult program advisors, parent leader volunteers and teachers ; and
o conducting three sessions (3 hrs. ea.) of grade appropriate standards based instruction on the iMap curriculum modules for all youth participants. The student mappers mapped services available in Central Brooklyn; and designed Central Brooklyn Community Information website.