By Karyn Frink, BVP Parent, Parent Advocacy Fellow
I’ve always known that my voice as a parent was important. Knowing this, I’ve spent my years as a mother advocating for my two daughters, Keisha and Kendra. As I watch them move closer to high school and college, that time only increases.
Last year, I had the opportunity to join 16 other BVP parents for BVP’s first ever Parent Advocacy Fellowship. The experience consisted of a series of workshops and events that gave me the opportunity to:
- Connect with parents from every BVP school
- Gain in-depth knowledge about BVP’s school model
- Understand how charter school funding works
- Grow to appreciate the power of my voice as a parent
- Explore how best to leverage my daughters’ educational journeys to advocate for high-quality schools like BVP.
Parents participating in one of last year’s workshops.
The experience was rewarding and after watching how our state leaders voted to decrease funding for BVP, I, along with many parents from last year’s cohort, decided we needed to return for a second year! While we are strong, the truth is we need and want more parent voices to join ours on this journey.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 15 at 9 a.m. at Elementary School 2 (52 Broad Street, Cumberland). I invite you to join us! I will be there along with several other parents excited to welcome new voices, perspectives, and stories to our group. Together, we will continue to build a community that works together to advocate for our children – for all children.
I hope to see you there!
*Childcare and light breakfast snacks will be provided. If you are interested in joining, please email Stephanie Gonzalez at sgonzalez@blackstonevalleyprep.org.
