Every January our nation celebrates dedicated mentors, community leaders, and tutors whose guidance leads minority youth down the path to success and personal achievement. The events of the past few years have taken their toll on minority youth who have suffered socially and academically. Mental and emotional health challenges resulting from bullying and social media ills have played a significant role in personal and educational outcomes.
Rolling out highlights programs throughout the country and their mission to prepare minority youth for positive future outcomes.
Cari Champion (@carichampion) Brown Girls Dream
Brown Girls – An informal support system for high-performing young women of color that pairs young leaders with multimedia industry veterans.
Impact: “Exposure and networking are so important. Brown Girls Dream is a collective of highly talented young women being mentored by women who look like them in various industries that are killing the game.” –Cari Champion
Pharell Williams (@pharell)
YELLOW – Founded by Pharrell Williams, YELLOW will even the odds by unleashing potential and eradicating generational poverty by reimagining the future of education.
Impact – “Giving more kids the opportunity to learn by meeting them at the intersection of how they process and learn information.” – Pharell Williams
Tyra Moore (@agirllikemeinc)
A Girl Like Me Inc. – Educating and encouraging girls, teens, teen moms, and young moms between the ages of 11 to 25 to make healthy life choices through life skills classes, coaching, goal setting, and character development.
Impact: “Providing youth mentorship and counseling on pregnancy prevention, through reproductive health education and providing access to feminine care needs.” –Tyra Moore
David Streets (@dave_street22)
PenDMV – Enrichment programs provided through sustainable, broad-based collaboration. PenDMV provides educational, health-wellness, and economic empowerment initiatives to youth.
Impact: “The new norm digital leadership program sponsored by META Facebook engages students around the digital divide and race, how to lead online, online career prep, and cyberbullying.” –David Street
Cherise Hamblin, MD (IG: @patientsrwaiting, FB PatientsRWaiting)
Patients R Waiting – Pipeline Dreams gathers more than 50 students from around the country to participate in a health careers exploration program, and learn from doctors, nurses, and other clinicians.
Reggie Guy (@theregguy)
STEP – Connects students to professionals across sports, tech, entrepreneurship, and politics. Participating students will learn about these disciplines from various local and national stakeholders.
Impact: “I am excited for our students to connect with successful professionals in STEP industries who can relate to having been in their shoes.” –Reggie Guy
Rudolph “Rock” Johnson (@roccheadjohnson)
I Can Youth Foundation – Serving youth through sports, mentoring, tutoring, life skills, and summer basketball programs.
Impact: “Our programs produced 35 Division I and professional basketball players. We work diligently to establish an environment conducive to accomplishing academic and athletic success.” –Rudolph Johnson
