ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Danielle R. Moss - Social activist
Danielle R. Moss is chief executive officer of Oliver Scholars, helping it prepare high-potential Black and Latinx students from underserved New York City communities for success.

Why you should listen

Dr. Danielle R. Moss is Chief Executive Officer of Oliver Scholars, an organization committed to preparing high-potential Black and Latinx students from underserved New York City communities for success at top independent schools, prestigious colleges and careers. She is also a member of The New York Women's Foundation board of directors and serves as an NYC Commissioner of Gender Equity. She began her career as a middle school teacher in the Bronx and Brooklyn, building a distinguished career as an academic and a leader in the education and the social sector. Dr. Moss's contributions to education and the social sector have been recognized by the New York State Education Department, The New York Women's Foundation, The New York Coalition for 100 Black Women, The College Board, The Network Journal's 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business and The Council of Urban Professionals.

Moss has been featured in the New York Times "Corner Office" and in Crain's New York for her leadership in the movement toward intersectional gender equity. Her writing has been featured by The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Edutopia, The Amsterdam News, City Limits Magazine, Ms. Magazine online and the Feminist Wire. She's appeared on WABC-TV's Here and Now and New York Viewpoint, on WNBC's Positively Black, Fox 5's Street Talk, Bronx Net's Perspectives and NY1's Inside City Hall. Stanley Crouch, formerly of the New York Daily News, once dubbed her one of the most important players in public education for her ability to respectfully meet young people and families where they are and to give them the tools and agency to transform their own lives.​

More profile about the speaker
Danielle R. Moss | Speaker | TED.com
TEDWomen 2018

Danielle R. Moss: How we can help the "forgotten middle" reach their full potential

Danielle R. Moss: Como podemos ajudar as "pessoas medianas esquecidas" a alcançar seu potencial pleno

Filmed:
1,882,138 views

Você conhece as "pessoas medianas esquecidas": são estudantes, colegas de trabalho e pessoas comuns que são frequentemente ignorados porque não são considerados nem excepcionais nem problemáticos. Como podemos capacitá-las para alcançar seu potencial pleno? Compartilhando o trabalho dela ajudando jovens a ingressar e a se formar na faculdade, a ativista social Danielle R. Moss nos desafia a pensar mais profundamente sobre quem merece ajuda e atenção, e nos mostra como incentivar essas pessoas medianas a sonhar alto.
- Social activist
Danielle R. Moss is chief executive officer of Oliver Scholars, helping it prepare high-potential Black and Latinx students from underserved New York City communities for success. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
So, I want to talk to you
about the forgotten middle.
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Quero falar com vocês sobre
as pessoas medianas esquecidas.
00:18
To me, they are the students,
coworkers and plain old regular folks
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Para mim, são estudantes,
colegas de trabalho e pessoas simples
00:24
who are often overlooked
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que geralmente são negligenciados
00:26
because they're seen
as neither exceptional nor problematic.
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porque não são vistos nem como
excepcionais nem como problemáticos.
00:31
They're the kids we think we can ignore
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São os jovens que achamos
que podemos ignorar
00:34
because their needs for support
don't seem particularly urgent.
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porque suas necessidades de apoio
não parecem ser particularmente urgentes.
00:39
They're the coworkers
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São os colegas de trabalho
00:41
who actually keep the engines
of our organizations running,
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que realmente mantêm o motor
das nossas organizações funcionando,
00:45
but who aren't seen as the innovators
who drive excellence.
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mas não são vistos como os inovadores
que impulsionam a excelência.
00:50
In many ways, we overlook
the folks in the middle
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De muitas maneiras,
ignoramos as pessoas medianas
00:54
because they don't keep us
up awake at night
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porque elas não nos mantêm
acordados à noite
00:57
wondering what crazy thing
they're going to come up with next.
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pensando em qual será
a próxima coisa louca que farão.
01:00
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:02
And the truth is that we've come
to rely on their complacency
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A verdade é que passamos
a depender da gentileza delas
01:07
and sense of disconnection
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e do senso de desconexão,
01:10
because it makes our work easier.
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porque isso facilita o nosso trabalho.
01:14
You see, I know a little bit
about the forgotten middle.
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Eu sei um pouco sobre as pessoas
medianas esquecidas.
01:18
As a junior high school student,
I hung out in the middle.
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Eu era uma aluna mediana no ensino médio.
01:23
For a long time,
I had been a good student.
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Por muito tempo, eu foi uma boa aluna.
01:27
But seventh grade was a game changer.
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Mas o sétimo ano foi o divisor de águas.
01:31
I spent my days gossiping, passing notes,
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Passava meus dias fofocando,
trocando bilhetinhos,
01:35
generally goofing off with my friends.
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geralmente ficava à toa com meus amigos.
01:38
I spent my homework time on the phone,
reviewing each day's events.
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Gastava meu tempo de dever de casa
ao celular, revendo cada fato do dia,
01:44
And in many ways, although I was
a typical 12-year-old girl,
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e, de muitas maneiras, embora fosse
uma menina comum de 12 anos,
01:51
my ambivalence about my education
led to pretty average grades.
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minha ambivalência sobre minha educação
resultou em notas bem medianas.
01:59
Luckily for me, my mother understood
something important,
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Felizmente, minha mãe
compreendeu algo importante:
02:05
and that was that my location
was not my destination.
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que a minha localização
não era o meu destino.
02:11
As a former research librarian
and an educator,
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Como ex-bibliotecária
pesquisadora e educadora,
02:16
my mother knew that I was capable
of accomplishing a lot more.
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minha mãe sabia que eu era capaz
de realizar muito mais.
02:22
But she also understood
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Mas, ela também compreendeu
02:24
that because I was a young
black woman in America,
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que porque era uma jovem negra nos EUA,
02:28
I might not have opportunities
out of the middle
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eu poderia não ter
oportunidades de me sobressair
02:31
if she wasn't intentional
about creating them.
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se ela não tivesse a intenção de criá-las.
Então, ela me transferiu
para uma escola diferente.
02:36
So she moved me to a different school.
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02:40
She signed me up for leadership
activities in my neighborhood.
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Ela me inscreveu em atividades
de liderança em minha vizinhança.
02:45
And she began to talk to me more seriously
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E começou a conversar
mais seriamente comigo
02:48
about college and career options
I could aspire to.
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sobre a faculdade e opções de carreira
que eu poderia almejar.
02:53
My mother's formula for getting me
out of the middle was pretty simple.
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A fórmula da minha mãe
para me tirar da média era simples.
02:59
She started with high expectations.
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Ela começou com altas expectativas.
03:03
She made it her business to figure out
how to set me up for success.
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Ela fez de tudo para entender
como me preparar para o sucesso.
03:08
She held me accountable
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Ela me manteve responsável
03:12
and, along the way,
she convinced me that I had the power
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e, enquanto isso, me convenceu
de que eu tinha o poder de criar
03:18
to create my own story.
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a minha própria história.
03:22
That formula didn't just help me
get out of my seventh grade slump --
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Ela não só me ajudou a me recuperar
da minha queda no sétimo ano.
03:27
I used it later on in New York City,
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Eu usei isso mais tarde,
na cidade de Nova York,
03:30
when I was working with kids
who had a lot of potential,
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quando trabalhei com alunos
que tinham muito potencial,
03:33
but not a lot of opportunities
to go to and complete college.
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mas não muitas oportunidades
para ingressar e concluir a faculdade.
03:38
You see, high-performing students
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Estudantes de alto desempenho
tendem a ter acesso a recursos adicionais,
03:41
tend to have access
to additional resources,
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03:45
like summer enrichment activities,
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como atividades de verão,
03:48
internships
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estágios
03:49
and an expansive curriculum
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e um vasto currículo que os leva
de além da sala de aula para o mundo
03:51
that takes them out of the classroom
and into the world
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03:55
in ways that look great
on college applications.
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de forma que parece ótimo
para uma aplicação para a faculdade.
03:59
But we're not providing
those kinds of opportunities for everyone.
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Mas, não estamos dando
essas oportunidades a todos.
04:04
And the result isn't just
that some kids miss out.
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E o resultado não é apenas
que alguns jovens perdem com isso.
04:08
I think we, as a society, miss out too.
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Acho que nós, como sociedade,
perdemos também.
04:11
You see, I've got a crazy theory
about the folks in the middle.
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Tenho uma teoria doida
sobre pessoas medianas.
04:16
I think there are some unclaimed
winning lottery tickets in the middle.
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Acho que, entre esses medianos,
existem alguns muito afortunados.
04:22
I think the cure for cancer
and the path to world peace
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Acho que a cura para o câncer
e o caminho da paz mundial
04:26
might very well reside there.
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pode muito bem pertencer a eles.
Como ex-professora de ensino médio
não estou dizendo que,
04:29
Now, as a former middle school teacher,
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04:31
I'm not saying that magically everyone
is suddenly going to become an A student.
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como num passe de mágica,
todos se tornarão estudantes nota A.
04:37
But I also believe
that most folks in the middle
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Mas, também acredito que a maioria das
pessoas medianas é capaz de muito mais.
04:40
are capable of a lot more.
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04:43
And I think people stay in the middle
because that's where we relegated them to
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E, acho que elas permanecem medianas
porque é onde nós as colocamos
04:48
and, sometimes, that's just
where they're kind of chilling
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e, às vezes, ficam ali só descansando,
enquanto tentam entender as coisas.
04:51
while they figure things out.
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04:54
All of our journeys
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Todas as nossas jornadas
04:56
are made up of a series of rest stops,
accelerations, losses and wins.
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são feitas de uma série de paradas,
acelerações, perdas e ganhos.
05:03
We have a responsibility to make sure
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Temos a responsabilidade de garantir
05:06
that one's racial, gender, cultural
and socioeconomic identity
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que a raça, o gênero e a identidade
cultural e socioeconômica de alguém
05:13
is never the reason you didn't have
access out of the middle.
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jamais será motivo para negar o acesso
a oportunidades por ele ser mediano.
05:19
So, just as my mother did with me,
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Então, assim como a minha mãe fez comigo,
05:22
I began with high expectations
with my young people.
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comecei com altas expectativas
em relação aos meus jovens,
05:26
And I started with a question.
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fazendo uma pergunta.
05:28
I stopped asking kids,
"Hey, do you want to go to college?"
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Parei de perguntar aos jovens:
"Você quer fazer faculdade?"
05:33
I started asking them,
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Comecei perguntando a eles:
"Qual faculdade você gostaria de fazer?"
05:35
"What college would you like to attend?"
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05:38
You see, the first question --
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(Aplausos)
05:40
(Applause)
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05:45
The first question leaves
a lot of vague possibilities open.
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A primeira pergunta deixa
várias possibilidades vagas em aberto.
05:50
But the second question
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Mas a segunda pergunta
05:52
says something about what I thought
my young people were capable of.
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diz algo sobre o que eu pensava
da capacidade dos meus jovens.
05:57
On a basic level,
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Basicamente, presumia que iriam se formar
com sucesso no ensino médio.
05:58
it assumes that they're going to
graduate from high school successfully.
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06:03
It also assumed
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E, também presumia
06:05
that they would have
the kinds of academic records
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que eles teriam registros acadêmicos
06:08
that could get them college
and university admissions.
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que possibilitariam o ingresso deles
na faculdade e na universidade.
06:13
And I'm proud to say
that the high expectations worked.
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E sinto-me orgulhosa de dizer
que as altas expectativas funcionaram.
06:18
While black and Latinx students
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Enquanto estudantes negros e latinos
06:20
nationally tend to graduate from college
in six years or less,
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em nível nacional tendem a se formar
na faculdade em seis anos ou menos,
06:25
at a percent of 38,
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numa porcentagem de 38,
06:28
we were recognized by the College Board
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fomos reconhecidos pelo College Board
06:31
for our ability not to just
get kids into college
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não apenas por conseguirmos fazer
com que os jovens entrassem na faculdade,
06:34
but to get them through college.
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como fazer com que se formassem.
06:37
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
06:43
But I also understand
that high expectations are great,
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Entendo que altas expectativas são ótimas,
mas é preciso um pouco mais do que isso.
06:47
but it takes a little bit more than that.
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06:49
You wouldn't ask a pastry chef
to bake a cake without an oven.
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Não pediríamos a um confeiteiro pra assar
um bolo sem que ele tivesse um forno.
06:54
And we should not be asking
the folks in the middle to make the leap
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E, nós não deveríamos pedir
às pessoas medianas para dar o salto
06:58
without providing them with the tools,
strategies and support they deserve
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sem fornecer a elas as ferramentas,
estratégias e o suporte que merecem
07:04
to make progress in their lives.
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para progredir na vida delas.
07:08
A young woman I had been
mentoring for a long time, Nicole,
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Uma jovem que venho orientando
por um longo tempo, Nicole,
07:12
came to my office one day,
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veio ao meu escritório um dia,
07:14
after her guidance counselor
looked at her pretty strong transcript
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depois que o conselheiro
observou os registros sólidos dela
07:20
and expressed utter shock and amazement
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e expressou total choque e assombro
07:22
that she was even interested
in going to college.
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ao perceber que ela sequer mostrava
interesse em ingressar na faculdade.
07:26
What the guidance counselor didn't know
was that through her community,
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O que ele não sabia era
que, através da comunidade dela,
07:31
Nicole had had access
to college prep work,
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Nicole tinha tido acesso
à preparação para a faculdade,
07:35
SAT prep and international
travel programs.
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exames preparatórios
e programas internacionais de viagem.
07:40
Not only was college in her future,
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Não apenas a faculdade
fazia parte do futuro dela,
07:43
but I'm proud to say that Nicole
went on to earn two master's degrees
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mas tenho orgulho de dizer
que Nicole obteve dois mestrados
07:48
after graduating from Purdue University.
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depois de se formar
na Universidade de Purdue.
07:51
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
07:57
We also made it our business
to hold our young people accountable,
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Também nos certificamos
de que nossos jovens seriam responsáveis,
08:02
but also to instill a sense
of accountability in those young people
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mas também de incutir neles
um senso de responsabilidade
para com eles mesmos, com os outros,
com seus familiares e suas comunidades.
08:07
to themselves, to each other,
to their families and their communities.
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08:14
We doubled down
on asset-based youth development.
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Dobramos os recursos
no desenvolvimento da juventude.
08:18
We went on leadership retreats
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Nós fizemos retiros de liderança,
08:20
and did high ropes courses
and low ropes courses
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cursos de cordas altas e baixas,
08:24
and tackled life's biggest
questions together.
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e lidamos com as grandes
questões da vida juntos.
08:29
The result was that the kids
really bought into the notion
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O resultado foi que os jovens
realmente entenderam a noção
08:33
that they were accountable
for achieving these college degrees.
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de que eram responsáveis por completar
esses cursos de nível superior.
08:38
It was so gratifying to see the kids
calling each other and texting each other
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Era gratificante ver os alunos ligando
um para o outro e trocando mensagens
08:44
to say, "Hey, why are you late
for SAT prep?"
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para dizer: "Por que está atrasado
para o exame preparatório?"
08:48
And, "What are you packing
for the college tour tomorrow?"
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"O que está preparando para o passeio
da faculdade amanhã?"
08:53
We really worked to kind of make
college the thing to do.
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Nós trabalhamos para tornar a faculdade
algo que eles deveriam fazer.
08:57
We began to create programs
on college campuses
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Começamos a criar programas
nos campus da faculdade
09:02
and events that allow young people
to really visualize themselves
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e eventos que permitiam aos jovens
visualizar a eles mesmos
09:07
as college students and college graduates.
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como alunos e graduandos de uma faculdade.
09:11
Me and my staff
rocked our own college gear
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Eu e meu pessoal levamos
nosso próprio equipamento de faculdade;
09:14
and had lots of fun, healthy competition
about whose school was better than whose.
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foi divertido, com uma competição saudável
sobre qual era a melhor faculdade.
09:21
The kids really bought into it,
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Os jovens realmente curtiram muito
09:23
and they began to see that something more
was possible for their lives.
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e começaram a perceber que algo mais
era possível na vida deles.
09:28
Not only that -- they could look around
at that college-going community
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Eles também podiam olhar ao redor
daquela comunidade universitária
09:33
and see kids who came
from the same backgrounds
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e ver jovens que vieram do mesmo contexto,
09:36
and the same neighborhoods
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das mesmas vizinhanças
e que aspiravam pelas mesmas coisas.
09:38
and who were aspiring to the same things.
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09:42
That sense of belonging was really key,
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Aquele senso de pertencimento
foi realmente importante
09:45
and it showed up in a remarkable,
beautiful way one day
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e se fez presente um dia,
de maneira memorável e linda,
09:49
when we were in the Johannesburg airport,
waiting to go through customs
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quando aguardávamos no aeroporto
de Joanesburgo para passar na alfândega,
09:54
on our way to Botswana
for a service learning trip.
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em nosso caminho à Botswana
para uma viagem educativa.
Vi um grupo de jovens, juntos, num círculo
09:58
I saw a group of kids
kind of huddled in a circle.
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e, normalmente, com adolescentes
isso significa que algo está acontecendo.
10:01
Usually, with teens,
that means something's going on.
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10:04
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
10:06
So I kind of walked up behind the kids
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Então, caminhei por trás deles
para descobrir o que estavam conversando.
10:08
to figure out what they were
talking about.
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10:11
They were comparing passport stamps.
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Eles estavam comparando
os carimbos nos passaportes.
(Risos)
10:14
(Laughter)
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10:15
And they were dreaming out loud
about all the other countries
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E estavam sonhando alto,
falando sobre todos os outros países
10:19
they planned to visit in the future.
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que planejam visitar no futuro.
10:22
And seeing these young people
from New York City
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Ver esses jovens da cidade de Nova York
10:27
go on to not just become college students
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não apenas se tornando
estudantes universitários,
10:30
but to participate
in study abroad programs
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mas participando de programas no exterior
10:34
and to then take jobs around the world
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e depois conseguindo empregos pelo mundo
10:37
was incredibly gratifying.
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era incrivelmente gratificante.
10:39
When I think of my kids
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Quando penso nos meus alunos
10:41
and all the doctors, lawyers,
teachers, social workers,
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e todos os doutores, advogados,
professores, assistentes sociais
10:46
journalists and artists
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jornalistas e artistas
10:48
who came from our little nook
in New York City,
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que vieram de nosso cantinho
da cidade de Nova York,
10:52
I hate to think
of what would have happened
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odeio pensar no que teria acontecido
10:55
if we hadn't invested in the middle.
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se não tivéssemos investido nos medianos.
10:58
Just think about all
that their communities and the world
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Pensem em tudo que as comunidades deles
e o mundo teriam perdido.
11:01
would have missed out on.
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11:04
This formula for the middle
doesn't just work with young people.
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Essa fórmula para os medianos
não funciona apenas com jovens.
11:09
It can transform
our organizations as well.
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Ela pode transformar
nossas organizações também.
11:13
We can be more bold
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Nós podemos ser mais corajosos
11:16
in coming up and articulating a mission
that inspires everyone.
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em trazer e articular uma missão
que inspire a todos.
11:21
We can authentically
invite our colleagues to the table
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Podemos autenticamente convidar
nossos colegas à mesa
11:25
to come up with a strategy
to meet the mission.
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para criarmos uma estratégia
para alcançarmos essa missão.
11:30
We can give meaningful feedback
to folks along the way,
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Podemos dar uma resposta significativa
às pessoas ao longo do caminho.
11:35
and -- and sometimes most importantly --
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E, às vezes, o mais importante,
11:38
make sure that you're sharing credit
for everyone's contributions.
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nos certificarmos de estar compartilhando
o crédito às contribuições de cada um.
11:45
What happened when my staff
aimed high for themselves
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Quando o meu pessoal projetou
altas expectativas para si mesmos,
11:49
is that what they were able
to do for young people
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eles foram capazes de fazer pelos jovens
11:53
was pretty transformational.
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algo muito transformador.
11:55
And it's been so wonderful to look back
and see all of my former colleagues
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E tem sido maravilhoso olhar para trás
e ver todos os meus antigos colegas
12:00
who've gone on to get doctorates
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que conseguiram o doutorado deles
12:03
and assume leadership roles
in other organizations.
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e assumiram um papel de liderança
em outras organizações.
12:08
We have what it takes to inspire
and uplift the folks in the middle.
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Nós temos o que é preciso para inspirar
e elevar as pessoas medianas.
12:15
We can extend love
to the people in the middle.
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Podemos estender amor às pessoas medianas.
12:20
We can challenge our own biases
about who deserves a hand-up, and how.
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Podemos desafiar nossos preconceitos
sobre quem merece uma mão, e como.
12:27
We can structure our organizations,
communities and institutions
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Podemos estruturar nossas organizações,
comunidades e instituições
12:33
in ways that are inclusive
and that uphold principles of equity.
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de maneiras que sejam inclusivas
e apoiem princípios de igualdade.
12:38
Because, in the final analysis,
what is often mistaken for a period
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Numa análise final, o que é muitas vezes
confundido com um ponto final
12:45
is really just a comma.
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é, na verdade, apenas uma vírgula.
12:48
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
12:49
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Danila Cardoso
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Danielle R. Moss - Social activist
Danielle R. Moss is chief executive officer of Oliver Scholars, helping it prepare high-potential Black and Latinx students from underserved New York City communities for success.

Why you should listen

Dr. Danielle R. Moss is Chief Executive Officer of Oliver Scholars, an organization committed to preparing high-potential Black and Latinx students from underserved New York City communities for success at top independent schools, prestigious colleges and careers. She is also a member of The New York Women's Foundation board of directors and serves as an NYC Commissioner of Gender Equity. She began her career as a middle school teacher in the Bronx and Brooklyn, building a distinguished career as an academic and a leader in the education and the social sector. Dr. Moss's contributions to education and the social sector have been recognized by the New York State Education Department, The New York Women's Foundation, The New York Coalition for 100 Black Women, The College Board, The Network Journal's 25 Most Influential Black Women in Business and The Council of Urban Professionals.

Moss has been featured in the New York Times "Corner Office" and in Crain's New York for her leadership in the movement toward intersectional gender equity. Her writing has been featured by The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, Edutopia, The Amsterdam News, City Limits Magazine, Ms. Magazine online and the Feminist Wire. She's appeared on WABC-TV's Here and Now and New York Viewpoint, on WNBC's Positively Black, Fox 5's Street Talk, Bronx Net's Perspectives and NY1's Inside City Hall. Stanley Crouch, formerly of the New York Daily News, once dubbed her one of the most important players in public education for her ability to respectfully meet young people and families where they are and to give them the tools and agency to transform their own lives.​

More profile about the speaker
Danielle R. Moss | Speaker | TED.com