University Heights students partner with Kentucky school
BY JASON COHEN
Students in the Bronx are
learning about empathy, communication
and kindness
through a story-sharing program
with a school in Kentucky.
For the second consecutive
year, University Heights High
School, 701 St. Ann’s Avenue,
has had an ongoing exchange
with students at Floyd Central
High School in Floyd County,
KY. In the fall, the teens from
Kentucky visited the Bronx and
in March, the Bronxites will
go down south. This is part of
a program called Narrative 4,
which is in in four continents,
12 countries and 18 states.
Narrative 4 educates people
on how to use their stories to
build empathy, shatter stereotypes,
helps develop active listening
skills, engage in peer-topeer
learning, practice public
speaking skills, improve selfrefl
ection and self-awareness
and experience an overall increase
in positive emotions.
Lillian de Jesus, Narrative
4 master practitioner and director
of secondary planning
and collaborative programs,
told the Bronx Times, the children
have benefi tted from par-
ticipating and many have been
clamoring to do it next year.
“The whole mission is about
empowering students,” de Jesus
said. “You take a moment
to listen to someone and we exchange
it (a story) and embody
it as our own. That will result
in breaking down the barriers
we have with one another.”
The students meet with de
Jesus and guidance counselor
and Narrative 4 Ambassador
Tameka Nelson every Monday
BRONX TIMES R 22 EPORTER, JANUARY 3-9, 2020 BTR
at 7:30 a.m. before school
and once a month in the portal,
which is essentially a large
Facetime, where they interact
with the kids from Kentucky.
The portal is large tent with
a screen and server that connects
them to the teens.
In fact, the program has become
so popular that they will
be introducing it to other borough
schools in the future and
will eventually be partnering
with a school in Mexico.
De Jesus explained that the
kids are taught how to tell stories
and communicate.
“When you’re asking people
to exchange stories you
have to have protocols in place
to make it safe,” she said. “It’s
much harder to be kind than
to be mean. It takes work to be
kind.”
Recently, the students from
the Bronx and Kentucky gave
each other recipes for Thanksgiving
and were tasked to
make each other’s receipe for
the holiday.
They noted how it was a bit
diffi cult for some of the kids in
Kentucky to fi nd certain items
that those of Dominican or Nigerian
heritage in the Bronx
cook with. The students refl
ected on the program and told
the Bronx Times how much it
has taught them about themselves
and other people.
“Personally the program
has helped me grow so much,”
said one girl named Pamela. “It
was like meeting people from a
different world, but at the same
time we’re all human. Meeting
them for the fi rst time it was
like family.”
Her classmate Adesuwa
said Narrative 4 has educated
her about empathy and helped
her mature.
“Before I joined this program
I didn’t know anything
about it,” she said. “I just knew
we exchanged stories. In my
mind I didn’t really have any
stories.”
Students at University Heights High School who particpate in the Narrative 4 Field Exchange program and Narrative
4 Master Practitioner Lillian de Jesus and Narrative 4 Ambassasdor Tameka Nelson
Schneps Media Jason Cohen