Shenika Jackson

by | Apr 19, 2003 | Grant Advisors

TPP Grant Recipient

Shenika Jackson

Dr. Shenika Jackson, born and raised in Chicago’s Englewood Community, is an advocate for minority high school students and working adults.

In 2016, Dr. Jackson created a college-readiness project called: My College Going Self, a project designed to assist high school students with the transition from high school to post-secondary education. The project started as a “pilot” project that was implemented to high school students for the first time in the Englewood Community at Kelly Branch Library. In May 2017, the My College Going Self Project, became apart of MY Foundation: Street Smarts to Great Starts Corp.

In June 2018, Dr. Shenika Jackson completed a PhD in Community Psychology from National Louis University. She was also the recipient of The Mohammed Megahed Scholarship, a scholarship awarded by National Louis University’s President Nivine Megahed. Her dissertation: African American Males and Academic Achievement: Understanding the Challenges Transitioning From High School to Higher Education, captures the barriers young black males face as they navigate the educational system.

Dr. Jackson holds other degrees to include a Master’s of Science-Written Communications (2009), and a Master’s of Arts-Psychology/Human Development (2005), from National Louis University. In March 2020, Dr. Jackson was offered employment in the Englewood Community, with a nonprofit organization: Growing Home. As Case Management Coordinator, Dr. Jackson works with adults from all walks of life, assisting them with job skills and training, and the capabilities to find permanent, stable employment after finishing Growing Home’s employment training program. Dr. Jackson uses a module called TIP (Transforming the Impossible to Possible), a bottom-up practice in workforce development for low-income job seekers in Chicago. The module was developed by Phillip P. Hong, at Loyola University in the School of Social Work.

Instagram

In the heart of Nkwen Bamenda III Sub Division, Northwest region of Cameroon, the pilot project "Youth and Visual Arts Activism for Social Change" unfolded at Teken Quarter Youth Community Hall. This initiative, running from January to April 2023, targeted fifteen disadvantaged youths—including school dropouts, drug addicts, and other vulnerable groups. The project, supported by a seed grant, was launched by the Collective Arts Development Association (CADA), which provided six art facilitators. These experts delivered extensive training in various artistic skills, from sketching and drawing on canvas boards to graphic design and T-shirt printing.

Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of colors, composition, and proportions, along with practical applications in screen printing on diverse materials like jeans, nylon, and polyester. The primary goal of the project was to leverage art and social entrepreneurship as viable alternatives to drug use, abuse, crime, and poverty in the local community. Furthermore, the project included an outreach program involving sixth-grade pupils from the Government Primary School in Teken Quarter.

The success of this pilot paved the way for a flagship initiative titled "Empowering Marginalized Youths through Life Skill Education Art and Entrepreneurship Skill Development." This ongoing program offers six-month intensive training sessions to thirty disadvantaged youths, teaching them not only visual and graphic arts but also audio-visual skills and crafts essential for economic independence and social inclusion. Moreover, the program includes mental health education, counseling, rehabilitation strategies, and connects participants with mental health professionals as needed, continuing to transform lives thanks to the foundational support of The Pollination Project grant.

#art #socialchange #activism #youthempowerment #mentalhealtheducation #cameroon #heartivism #grants #thepollinationproject
WINNERS!!
Our grantees Manjushree Abhinav and Aanchal Raturi won the Swarnali Roy Vegan Advocacy Awards 2024 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 

Manjushree received a grant for her project "My planet and my plate", inspiring students to become climate activists themselves, to plant the seed of change into the hearts and minds of students, hoping that these seeds will sprout into far-reaching effects. 

Aanchal founded Project Re-Learn, conducting workshops in Uttaranchal colleges to sensitize future agriculturists about ethical practices. 

Join us in congratulating these two incredible heartivists! 🧡 

@hsi_india 
@hsiglobal 
@manjushreeabhinav 
@earthling_anna_raturi 

#animalrights #animalwelfare #vegan #plantbased #veganlifestyle #nocruelty #crueltyfree #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #india
🌟 Volunteer Week 🌟  Celebrating our family of Grant Advisors!

Today we celebrate our grant advisors dedicated to #animalprotection .

🔸 April King (Montenegro/United States) 
🔸 Elphas Ongongo (Kenya) 
🔸 Mohini Sharma (India) 
🔸 Evans Okumu (Kenya) 
🔸 Fernanda García Naranjo Ortega (Mexico)
🔸 Leandro Franz (Brazil) 
🔸 Jeremy Gregory (United States)
🔸 Kate Luke (Australia)
🔸 Andrew Alexander (United States) 

@granjitatyh 
@kotorkitties 
@littleoaksanctuary 

#volunteerweek 
#animalrights  #animalwelfare  #heartivism  #grants  #animaladvocacy #advisors