Flip-ed
If you could flip just one thing to help our schools and public education thrive, what would it be? We know that the structure of schools and education were built nearly a century ago, based on a factory model - but the world is a profoundly transformed place.
There are people and practices right now - across our nation - that are thinking about school in our transformed world. They are trying innovative and bold ideas that can potentially inspire others to be bold and innovative - even in a schooling system that may not always welcome change.
In this podcast, we are working to find and elevate those ideas that could make all the difference for our children, families and schools. Join us to hear from educators with an idea, a vision, a revolutionary thought that could flip a switch and change schools for our changed world.
Podcast hosts, LaShawn Bowser and Mike Chalupa. Technical Director, Justin Eames. Flip-Ed is brought to you by the City Neighbors Foundation, located in Baltimore MD. Check out our work in K-12 education at www.cityneighborsfoundation.org
Flip-ed
The Hearts and Minds of Young Black Boys
What if we intentionally and robustly invested in nurturing the hearts and souls of young Black boys in Baltimore City and everywhere? Listen to Damion Cooper’s compelling story which grounded his work at Project Pneuma, and consider ways that we could rethink schools to focus on hearts and minds work as well as the academic work.
Damion Cooper uses his life’s experiences to teach lessons of forgiveness, self-control, discipline, and redemption via mentorship. His own experiences inspired him to create Project Pneuma; a holistic program focused on social emotional learning, forgiveness and curbing impulse actions from trauma due to Adverse Childhood Experiences in young African American males by teaching them yoga, mindfulness, breathing techniques, conflict resolution/de-escalation, and martial arts. Project Pneuma also partners with the Baltimore City Police Department so that the young men and new officers can build bonds of trust, respect, and cultural competencies.
Damion is a 2014 BMe Leadership Award Recipient, 2016 Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Emerging Leader, 2017 Presidential Volunteer Service Recipient, 2017 Champion of Courage Recipient, 2017 Warnock Foundation Social Innovation Fellow, and 2018 Kings Landing Women’s Association MLK Man of the Year. Damion was awarded the 2019 Maryland Foundation for Psychiatry (MFP) Anti-Stigma Advocacy Prize for his op-ed, “Surviving a gunshot, one man’s story” in the October 18, 2018, Baltimore Sun. Damion is also the NFL and Baltimore Ravens 2023 Inspire Change Changemaker Recipient and FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient. Damion holds degrees from Coppin State University (BS, Business Management & Marketing) and the United Baptist College & Seminary (Th.M., Theology) and is a 2018 graduate of The Leadership: a program of the Greater Baltimore Committee.