The proverb it takes a village to raise a child is an apt approach to youth development for many Black and Latino/a youth. They come from homes in which generations of blood and virtual family have traditionally had a significant role in their upbringing.

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol was created to provide a critical link between families, schools and the community. We increase our members’ access to enriching experiences, resources, and knowledgeable and caring adults. Our youth development model fuses culturally relevant content and teaching with social emotional learning. This helps our members acquire self-knowledge, and form meaningful connections and relationships. For the last 10 years we have provided informal guidance to community and school based colleagues. Spread the Word (formerly Community Outreach Program) is our comprehensive initiative that:

LVLM is the publications and professional development project of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol. It offers training and resources to educators, youth workers, schools and community organizations committed to practicing education that transforms minds, lives and communities. Over 425 people (ages 15-60+) working in over 160 different spaces have experienced LVLM. Participants give high ratings for its quality, accessibility and influence.

The institute includes workshops and trainings for educators to:

Workshop participants collaborate with other educators to learn our strategies for teaching our 10 Curriculum Focus Issues, implementing single-sex and rites of passage programming, and developing curriculum. We are committed to working with public institutions because they provide essential educational and leadership development opportunities for low-income and working-class students of color.

We use our publications in trainings to take youth workers and teachers through our youth development workshops, impacts, and challenges. Trainings are coordinated for organizations and schools in New York City and in other US cities, particularly those having large Black and/or Latino/a populations. Each participant receives a copy of our curriculum, ongoing support during the year of training and the opportunity to build and sustain a network of youth workers.

We are currently developing a Liberating Voices/Liberating Minds International Institute for teachers in Africa and Latin America, specifically in the countries in which we conduct our International Study Program for our teen members. This Institute will center on strategies for utilizing a holistic, progressive pedagogy while focusing on Pan African history, gender issues and rites of passage activities. To download General information on LVLM Click Here.

The Publications include anthologies of our members’ writings, curricula and other materials developed and published by Bro/Sis. The publications are intended for distribution to community and school based educators, the general public and Friends of the organization. Each of our programs will eventually generate at least one book. Current and upcoming Liberating Voices/Liberating Minds publications are:

Reality Check Online is a youth-led media initiative of the Brotherhood/Sister Sol. The website is a place for members to publish articles and blog on topics relevant to their lives and interests. We create a healthy and safe online community by promoting self-confidence and by valuing our lives and the lives of others.

We conduct active outreach and recruitment to expand our volunteer base. We encourage community members, college students, activists, and professionals to participate in our program as mentors, tutors, guest speakers, and activity coordinators. Community involvement in our programs enables us to maintain strong community ties and further extend the network of support for our youth.