Middle School Math Teacher Tiffani Wilkins and ELA Teacher Lakeytra Coleman lead Young Ladies Loving Themselves (YLLT), a group of eight students who meet weekly with a focus on self-improvement and tools to be ready for life after Detroit Premier. Participants meet for one hour, spotlighting a new topic that inspires growth and connection each week. Meetings range from group games to self-defense lessons and incorporate Moral Focus™ themes to grow character.
The experience is not contained to the classroom. YLLT engages students in community outreach and volunteer opportunities. Past experiences have included work with local women’s shelters. This year, the group volunteered at Focus: HOPE, where students helped pack meals for low-income senior citizens in their community.
Students felt proud of the work they did, helping community members in need and learning to collaborate with others in a fast-paced environment. All-in-all, YLLT contributed to eight pallets, which contained thousands of boxed meals.
“They were doing a lot of hard work, but students took value in the purpose behind it,” Wilkins said.
One student engaged with the work on a personal level. She recognized the boxes and realized someone in her life benefitted from Focus: HOPE. This connection point motivated her and the rest of YLLT to pack boxes.
“She said, ‘I’m doing this for my grandma,’ and that was her drive the entire time,” Wilkins said. “Then some of the other girls connected to that and it motivated them, too. When students start feeling open to sharing things about their background, it can be a powerful moment.”
These moments wouldn’t be possible without Wilkins and Coleman. When the pair returned to Detroit Premier as staff members, they wanted to bring back the program because of its lasting impact and connections.
“The biggest thing for me was building relationships with our teachers who led YLLT,” Wilkins said of her time as a participant in YLLT. “I felt like I got closer to the teacher. Everyone gets to know a teacher in that role, but when you spend one hour per week with them outside of school and get to talk with them one-on-one, you see them as a person, not just a teacher.”
While the group of eight students is small, the size allows for greater impact for participants and deeper connections with Wilkins and Coleman. YLLT remains in demand, and the group staged an event to share more with classmates.
YLLT held a lock-in for about 50 students, giving them a glimpse at what the group does and offered a safe, fun extracurricular event. They participated in bonding activities, such as games, scavenger hunts, and relay races.
“We put the phones down and just honed into each other,” Wilkins said.
At a schoolwide assembly, lock-in participants received flowers for engaging in the event, which served as a token of appreciation from Wilkins and Coleman.
With this uninterrupted time for camaraderie, students are growing with each other, readying for life at Detroit Premier and beyond. Wilkins said the impact on students is great and strongly advocated for other schools to implement YLLT or a similar program.
“I know it does make a big impact,” Wilkins said. “I think people don’t realize how much the kids need that listening ear.”
Keep up the great work, YLLT, Ms. Wilkins, Ms. Coleman, and Detroit Premier!
About Detroit Premier Academy
Detroit Premier Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.