Page 3 - 2022 May Report

The idea that pictures can tell stories is called narrative photography. The cover of this Monthly Report was taken at our recent site visit to Operation Jump Start
(OJS). At a glance, I hope you can see the story captured in the photo. This is truly a celebratory moment. Meet Abril Rosas. Abril is a recent high school graduate and participant in the Operation Jump Start program. She is being recognized and celebrated at Operation Jump Start’s annual College Signing Day event. The staff of OJS invite graduating high school seniors in their program, along with their parents and OJS mentors, for an evening of food, fellowship and celebration. Each graduate in attendance enjoys their own moment in the spotlight when, for the first time they publicly declare, to a tabletop drumroll from their peers, the college they will be attending in the fall. In the cover photo, Abril is holding her sign that declares she will be attending Long Beach City College. The narrative of the photo? This is a picture of a highly vested partner, with a persistent student in a moment of intentional celebration. If it feels familiar, it’s because we’ve all shared in similar celebrations.
Celebrating students plays an important role in the work of many of our grantees. Celebration recognizes and affirms. This celebration recognizes students and their accomplishments, and it affirms their persistence and potential. For the celebrated student it can help to cultivate confidence to continue to pursue their dream of an education and employment. This encouragement can help foster hope and ambition in siblings, family and friends to pursue their own aspirations. Celebrations are not only important, but also productive.
Productive celebrations don’t need to be extravagant. You likely noticed the modest backdrop for Abril’s “moment.” They do need to be intentional and genuine. College Signing Day at OJS was both. The photographer is OJS Community
Robert A. Krause
Outreach Leader, Chelsea Chamroeun. Her smile, like those of the families, mentors and staff in attendance, is grander than Abril’s. The scene is a common one and is played out regularly with our grantee partners, especially around graduation time. The gathering of highly vested partners engaged with persistent students provides fertile ground for genuine celebration.
At JSF, we celebrate our grantee partners and the people they serve. We use the strategic platforms we have to provide positive exposure for our partners. JSF annual reports feature in-depth looks into the work of grantees. JSF monthly reports, blogs and newsletters are filled with the stories of our grantee partners and the people they serve. We promote their organizations and promote their programs. We also celebrate their milestones and recognize their people. This recognition can increase awareness of their work and improve their networking efforts. Celebrating our grantees and the people they serve is another way that JSF supports our partners.
You can read more about our visit to Operation Jump Start in David’s report.
Resilience
Pictures Tell Stories
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