Invest in the Future of 20 New Youth Leaders!

We are in the midst another transformative year of youth empowerment, education, artistic expression and peace building.  As winter transformed into spring and the school year drew to a close, we were proud to spend the second quarter of 2019 in fifteen schools across all eight DC wards and grateful for the support of our community.

Highlights from the second quarter of 2019 include:

• Funding Update: This quarter, we were so honored to be chosen for an ArtWorks grant through the National Endowment of the Arts, a grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, a general operating support grant from the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities and a Project Innovation Grant through NBC4 to provide cameras, iPads and multimedia training to our Fly By Light students. In addition, our Evening Elevating Peace event on March 14 brought in a host of new committed and engaged donors and volunteers.
• Professional Development Training for School Staff and Teachers: Thanks to a new partnership with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), our FBL facilitators began offering professional development trainings for teachers and staff focused on trauma-informed care, social-emotional literacy, cultural competence and humility, anti-racism/ implicit bias, and other topics as needed. Through these workshops, OCU equips teachers with the current youth development best practices and supports them long-term to transform classroom cultures and climates. This quarter, they led a successful training at School Without Walls Middle School for 30 teachers and staff, after which one participant reported: “Because [OCU facilitators] come from outside of the school, [they] are able to see and say truths that those inside are unable to see or say.” We will be offering 7 trainings in June - August.
• Gun Violence Panel: In April, the DC Criminal Justice Coordinating Council organized a public panel and conversation on creating youth-oriented solutions to prevent gun violence in the community. We were excited to have OCU Co-Founder Mikuak Rai serve on the panel at Anacostia High School and look forward to being one of the grassroots organizations leading the way toward violence prevention in DC.
• Self-Love Retreat: In April, we hosted 12 students from all over DC for a spring self-love retreat. On their day off from school, these students chose to join us in coming together to explore how strengthening positive relationships to themselves can create change in their own lives and the lives of others in their communities. Check out these awesome photos from the retreat (taken by Program Facilitator and photographer Tyler Grigsby).
• Fly By Light Summer Showcase: On June 5, 48 Fly By Light youth and alumni artists from across the city shared original music, poetry, and dance at the 2019 Fly By Light Summer Showcase. Working in school and after-school with One Common Unity's facilitators in the Fly By Light program, these youth worked through art to find their voices, express themselves, and bring awareness to the issues they face as teens in D.C. Over 250 community members came out to see their art, listen to their stories, and be inspired by this beautiful, positive community of young leaders.
• Strategic Planning: 2020 marks the celebration of OCU’s 20th anniversary. Following its last few years of rapid growth and expansion, OCU leadership has determined it to also be an opportune time to envision the organization’s next twenty years and develop an actionable strategic plan for realizing its vision. After a nationwide search lead by our Board of Directors, OCU is thrilled to begin working with consultants Allison Brown and Isabelle Moses to begin the implementation of a strategic plan in 2020. We were excited to kick off the process with a Board Retreat in May and look forward to the opportunity to strengthen our impact.

In addition, we’re excited to spend the summer on some of the following exciting initiatives:

• Fly By Light National Training: Join us in July for our first ever Fly By Light National Training! We are thrilled to launch this new initiative expanding our programming to include a national training which will certify teachers all over the country to lead Fly By Light chapters in their communities. Our award-winning program model and curriculum includes after-school and in-school workshops, overnight nature immersion retreats, annual city-wide showcases, professional development for teachers, parents, and other school administrators, and youth-led social justice campaigns. This summer, YOU can join educators, artists, and activists around the country who are passionate about building the next generations of changemakers and bring Fly By Light to your school or city! Learn more here.
• Peace and Positivity Music Video Release: Mark your calendars for June 21 for the release of "Peace and Positivity" — the forthcoming anthem of summer 2019! We're so excited to release this inspiring music video, written and performed by Fly By Light Alumni artists DougieD, Nfinity Zhy and Isaiah King. Check out a sneak peek here.
• Mental Health Expansion: In addition, we are excited to continue expanding our school-based mental health services through a new grant from the D.C. Department of Behavioral Health. We are now in the process of hiring a staff of social workers and clinicians to deepen and strengthen the work we are doing with our Fly By Light students and their families.

On behalf of our youth and staff, thank you for your support of One Common Unity. Because of you, we are able to continue building healthy, safe, and resilient communities through the transformative power of education and the arts. We couldn't do any of this without you, and we are so grateful for your support.