On Tuesday March 8^th, The Greater Austin Area My Brother’s Keeper (GAAMBK) Initiative held its second-annual SXSWedu Community Dialogue, One Year Later.

Led by co-chairs Dr. Gregory Vincent, Vice President of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin and Mark Madrid, President and CEO, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, GAAMBK is a collaboration among city, county, university and other public and private organizations to enhance the health, well-being and prosperity for boys and men of color.

During the event, the new GAAMBK website was unveiled to the public as well as details on each of the six local priority subcommittees:

• Early Education and Third Grade Reading levels
• Middle School Education Initiatives
• High School, College and Career Readiness
• Post Secondary Education and Workforce Placement
• Health Equity
• Violence Prevention and Second Chance Programs

Greetings were provided by event hosts, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and Austin Mayor Steve Adler. Mayor Adler, who said the stars were aligned to direct resources to create long lasting change, challenged the group to continue to push forward. “I like the idea of one year ago because it’s important to look back, but I want this to really be one year before. One year before we gather and we no longer are talking about ideas, but about what we have done and accomplished.”

Michael Smith, Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director of Cabinet Affairs for My Brother’s Keeper provided the morning’s keynote as well as national perspective on other local MBK initiatives, including those in Philadelphia and Los Angeles County.

Attendees also heard from students during a panel moderated by AISD Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz. For many, hearing from the boys and young men was the highlight of the day.

Stay tuned for a final report to be released in early May. You can find more information by visiting www.GAAMBK.org