Opening Plenary
9:30 - 9:40 AM
WESTERN NEW YORK'S SYMPOSIUM ON
Elevating Youth Voice IRL
Wednesday, May 21 · 9 am - 2 pm EST
Niagara University
5795 Lewiston Rd. Niagara University, NY 14109
Agenda
9:00 - 9:30 AM
Registration & Networking
9:30 - 9:40 AM
Welcome
Featuring: Brenda Jiménez (MENTOR New York)
9:40 - 10:15 AM
Keynote Interview
Featuring: Dr. Rolanda Ward (Niagara University) and Jada Ivey (CEO of XII XXI LLC)
Through her interview with Dr. Rolanda Ward, Professor of Social Work, Chair and BSW Program Director at Niagara University and Endowed Faculty Director of Rose Lee Bente Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission, Jada Ivey, CEO of XII XXI LLC, a sustainable denim clothing brand that emphasizes eco-friendly fashion, will share how meaningful mentor relationships not only support and foster business growth but also help young leaders find and amplify their unique voices.
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Masterclass: Elevating Youth Voice Through Personal Storytelling
Presented by: Brenda Jiménez (MENTOR New York) and
Dr. Elizabeth Santiago (Untold Narratives)
This master class will explore how cultural humility and personal storytelling can be powerful tools to elevate youth voices. Participants will learn how to create space for authentic expression by honoring lived experiences, embracing diverse cultural identities, and fostering mutual respect. Through reflecting activities and real-world examples, the session will demonstrate how storytelling empowers young people to lead, connect, and create change within their communities.
12:30 - 1:10 PM
LUNCH
1:15 - 2:00 PM
Youth Voice in Action: Insights from Real-Life Engagement Practices
Presented by: Erica Friedman Coburn (MENTOR New York) and
Mount St. Mary Academy Students and Faculty
This session will dive into the work that Mount St. Mary Academy in Buffalo has done over the past few years to learn about and improve on the experiences of all young people in their school. As a result of student feedback, Mount St. Mary Academy brought on MENTOR New York's Erica Friedman Coburn to work with students and faculty to create a more inclusive environment. This session will highlight the experiences of the students involved in this work.
Speakers
Jada Ivey
CEO of XII XXI LLC
Jada Ivey is a dynamic entrepreneur and fashion advocate based in Buffalo, New York. She is the CEO of XII XXI, a sustainable denim clothing brand that emphasizes eco-friendly fashion. In addition to her role as CEO, Jada is a professional stylist operating under Stylesbyjadamarie and serves as a creative director, showcasing her versatility and commitment to the fashion industry.
Dr. Elizabeth Santiago
Founder, The Untold Narratives
Dr. Elizabeth Santiago found The Untold Narratives to elevate underrepresented and under-heard voices. She is a fiction writer, learning designer and writing teacher living in Boston. Her debut novel, The Moonlit Vine is available in English and Spanish (Claro de luna) and tells the little known narrative of the Taíno people, the native people of Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica who are still here and a huge part of Caribbean culture and history.
Mount St. Mary Academy Students and Faculty
Mount St. Mary Academy, is a Catholic, private, college preparatory school for young women. Mount St. Mary Academy provides a platform for students to explore their passions. Whether it’s entrepreneurship, robotics, science, fine arts, service, or something else entirely, we encourage them to delve deep and pursue their dreams. In an all-girls environment, Mount St. Mary’s fosters a unique space where girls feel empowered to take risks, discover their voices, and become courageous leaders who will change the world.
Dr. Rolanda L. Ward
Dr. Rolanda L. Ward has been an associate professor at Niagara University since 2015. In August 2017, she was named endowed faculty director of Niagara University’s Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission. Dr. Ward earned her doctorate in social work and sociology, a master's in divinity, and a master's in social work from Boston University. As a macro-trained practitioner and a research scholar, she has been the lead investigator or research associate on a number of studies focusing on society's most vulnerable, underserved, proven-risk, and oppressed populations and communities. In addition, Dr. Ward has led projects in communities and within organizations that shift status quo outcomes. These days, she is particularly interested in working with school districts and non-profits to produce measurable outcomes for key demographics. Dr. Ward is a strategic planner, relentless advocate, and community learner. She is a content expert in child welfare, equitable practices for educational systems, health equity, criminal justice, and civic engagement. Dr. Ward is also a member of the board of directors at MENTOR New York, The Aquarium of Niagara Falls, Community Missions, Inc., The Education Collaborative of WNY, and Catholic Health Systems. Dr. Ward co-led the university’s Identifying and Dismantling Racial Injustice Task Force and Niagara Falls Social Justice Commission Employment Subcommittee. As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Ward is committed to helping students and community members identify social injustices that warrant real solutions.
Erica Friedman Coburn
Erica’s career has spanned mentoring, higher education, and human resources. In these fields, she gained substantial experience with program management, educating young adults, and developing positive and productive relationships with people and organizations. Mentoring has been an invaluable part of Erica’s life, both as a mentee and a mentor. Erica loves working with organizations to improve and enhance their mentoring practices and is especially enthusiastic about collaborating with organizations to empower and elevate the voices of young people. Erica earned her bachelor’s in hospitality management from Drexel University, her master’s in education from Temple University, and is an Academic Life Coach.
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Brenda Jimenez
Brenda Jiménez is CEO of MENTOR New York, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the mentoring gap in New York State by ensuring young people have mentoring opportunities wherever they live, learn, work, and play. Her expertise in executive leadership, fund development, board development, and organizational management has supported non-profit Executives and Board of Directors to transform their organizations by increasing their reach and impact for the past 20 years. Brenda's commitment to women's and children's issues has driven her service in the community and catalysts to her professional choices. In her career, Brenda has worked for Big Brother Big Sisters of America, Northeast Region, Girl Scouts of the USA, and United Way of Essex and West Hudson before starting at MENTOR New York in 2014. She served as the Director of Operations and Growth Strategies for 5 years, developing a clear tactical growth strategy that has resulted in the organization successfully deepening its services within the New York City and Long Island communities while expanding services to Upstate New York. Brenda was appointed as CEO in December 2019 and led the organization through a global pandemic and racial unrest. Under her leadership, she has increased partner engagement and developed resources, tools, and services that have allowed mentoring programs throughout New York to serve the more than 250,000 young people who have mentors during these challenging and unprecedented times. Brenda Jiménez was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and raised in a military family. In her adolescence, her family settled in the Bronx, where she attended the prestigious Cardinal Spellman High School. She received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Seton Hall University and later pursued a Master's in Public Administration with a Non-Profit Management concentration from the Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service at New York University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from The Center of Leadership at The University of Charleston in West Virginia. Brenda has received numerous recognitions including four Steve Awards for Women in Business in 2020, Comité Noviembre, “Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad”: “The Best in Our Community” Award 2010 and El Diario/LA PRENSA Latinas Destacadas 2004 Award. Brenda is happily married and has three daughters, Leilah, 33, Bianca, 15, and Sofia, 13. She currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.