EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Chandra Fairley
Educational Development Chair
As an organization of college educated women. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. plays an active role in the educational movement, seeking to inspire, motivate and support the aspirations and achievements of youth and young adults. Our Delta Academy and Delta GEMS programs provide supervised and structured experiences that broaden their world views, instill the need to achieve academic excellence, increase technical skills, and provide opportunities for self-reflection, individual growth, leadership and service for females ages 11-18. Leavenworth Alumnae Chapter’s Educational Development program also hosts the National African American Read-In during the month of February, which promotes the exploration of literary works written by African American Authors.
Delta Gems & Delta Academy
Delta Gems
A natural outgrowth and expansion for the continuation of the highly successful Dr. Betty Shabaaz Delta Academy: Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Delta Gems was created to catch the dreams of African American at-risk, adolescent girls aged 14-18. Delta GEMS provides the frame work to actualize those dreams through the performance of specific tasks that develop a CAN DO attitude.
The goals for Delta GEMS are:
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To instill the need to excel academically
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To provide tools that enable girls to sharpen and enhance their skills to achieve high levels of academic success;
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To assist girls in proper goal setting and planning for their futures high school and beyond; and
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To create compassionate, caring, and community minded young women by actively involving them in service learning and community service opportunities.
The Delta GEMS program offers a road map for college and career planning conducts activities that provide opportunities for self-reflection and individual growth. Delta GEMS, like Delta Academy, is implemented by chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Delta Academy
Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Preparing Young Women For the 21st Century: The Delta Academy was created out of an urgent sense that bold action was needed to save our young females (ages 11-14) from the perils of academic failure, low self-esteem, and crippled futures. Delta Academy provides an opportunity for local chapters to enrich and enhance the education that our young teens receive in public schools across the nation.
Specifically, we augment their scholarship in math, science, and technology, their opportunities to provide service in the form of leadership through service learning defined as the cultivation and maintenance of relationships. A primary goal of the program is to prepare young girls for full participation as leaders in the 21st Century.
Delta Academy has taken many forms. In some chapters, the Academies are after-school or Saturday programs; others are weekly or biweekly throughout the school year; and still other programs occur monthly. At a minimum, chapters plan and implement varied activities based upon the needs of the early adolescents in their areas. The activities implemented most often include computer training, self-esteem and etiquette workshops, field trips for science experiences and for college exposure, and special outings to cultural events, fancy dinners, museums, plays, and concerts.
*Not fillable on mobile devices. If using a mobile device, print to complete and email all signed forms to: lacdgda@gmail.com
African American
Read-In
The National African American Read-In is the nation’s first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. This initiative has reached more than 6 million participants around the world (https://ncte.org/get-involved/african-american-read-in/).
Members of the Leavenworth Alumnae Chapter read stories authored by African-Americans to kindergartners and first graders at Anthony, Brewer, Lawson and Leavenworth elementary schools in observation of the National African-American Read-In during Black History Month in February 2020.
If you are an educator in the Lansing or Leavenworth, KS area and would like to participate in the 2023 African American Read-In, Contact Us Here
Scholarship Committee
