Detroit Mercy Law to host ABA initiative Oct. 22

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Fall Conference will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, in Detroit. Detroit Mercy Law is hosting a panel discussion at 1 p.m. in room 326 sponsored by the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section. The discussion will focus on whether literacy is a constitutional right and the current litigation that is pending on behalf of Detroit Public School students.

The Young Lawyers Division recently announced that "Access to Education: Changing the Trajectory of Success" will be the division's 2016-17 public service project.

The initiative aims to combat the crisis of unequal access to education in underserved and often overlooked communities. This project will demonstrate to 9th grade students the value of pursuing secondary education through the use of a smart device platform, with the goal to equip students with the knowledge, skills and exposure they need to break down educational barriers and fill voids in their communities.

The initiative has several aspects:

- Dare to Dream. This is an in-classroom-based vision board crafting program focused on the value of higher education, goal-setting and building mentor relationships with high schools nationwide.

- Blossom mobile app. This app, targeted to 9th grade students, offers career planning and skills development tools, alternative post-high school education options, job and industry profiles and information about scholarship outlets.

- Career Day. Young lawyers and law students will visit schools and facilitate a connection between students' academic pursuits and their potential professional endeavors in the future.

- S.M.A.R.T. Providing students with the tools and the support to pursue secondary education, by setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based to help them realize their vision.

"I came to the United States when I was 7 years old as a refugee from the former Soviet Union and grew up in an immigrant community where I learned English as a second language in school," said Anna Romanskaya, chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division. "My family came to this country so that my sister and I could have an equal opportunity to obtain an education and be whatever we wanted to be, regardless of our gender, race or religion. The Access to Education project is near and dear to my heart and I want immigrant and vibrant communities to have access to the secondary education that has helped me achieve so much in my life."

YLD will launch the initiative today at their Fall Conference in Detroit at simultaneous events with Dare to Dream, a vision-boarding program for middle school students.

Published: Fri, Oct 21, 2016

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