Check Out The Gwinnett Power-Up Initiative At The White House

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In this episode of Go Gwinnett!, we provide an exclusive glimpse into the recent White House event known as the Power Up Initiative with Discovery Education. A select group of Gwinnett County’s youth commissioners had the distinct honor of participating as representatives at this significant occasion. The inaugural Power-Up series aims to promote educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunities specifically for Black Americans.

What Is The Power-Up Series?

Power Up was a series of summits jointly hosted by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Excellence, Equity, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans and Discovery Education. Each summit comprised a series of engagements within the Black community, serving as pivotal moments in the advancement of educational equity and economic opportunity.

Throughout the series, attendees had the opportunity to listen to insights from students, educators, school and district leaders, community and business figures, various federal agencies, and subject matter experts. These gatherings highlighted best practices and resources to advance educational equity and economic opportunities within the Black community.

The first installment of the Power Up series took place in Gwinnett County, GA from Thursday, October 12th, to Friday, October 13th, 2023.

Participants enjoyed a wide range of engaging activities, including panel discussions, a career fair, a youth townhall, roundtable discussions, and breakout sessions.

Notable speakers included:

Dr. Calvin J. Watts, former Superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools, GA
Erika Alexander, Co-Founder of Color Farm Media
Stacey Abrams, Former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives
Yvette Lee Bowser, Creator of Living Single
Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor to the Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid
Caroline Heldman, Executive Director of The Representation Project
Dr. Devon Horton, Superintendent of DeKalb County School District, GA
Dr. DeAndre Jones, Chief of Staff, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
… and many more!

The event kicked off at 5 pm on Thursday, including the career fair and youth townhall. Day 2 of the summit started at 9 am on Friday, with registration opening at 4 pm and 8 am, respectively.

Registration was available on the official website, and attendees were encouraged to share the event with others. We looked forward to seeing you there 😊

For additional information and details about other locations in the Power Up Series, you could visit https://sites.ed.gov/whblackinitiative/powerup/.