nyx black male achievement initiative preparing young
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BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT GUIDE | 1
Who We Are Building on 45 years of direct service and policy advocacy, the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade created the ♂NYX Black Male Achievement IniBaBve to intensify its efforts within South Los Angeles. ♂NYX combines an experBse in cultural competency with rigorous academic and career programming that is highly effecBve in preparing young Black males for success on life’s stage.
FOUNDED: 1968 CURRENT ORGANIZATION BUDGET: $3.6M CONTACT: Dr. Nathan Sessoms, Vice President of Programs and OperaBons PHONE: 323-‐846-‐1649 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.brotherhoodcrusade.org
♂NYX BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT INITIATIVE Preparing Young Black Men for Success On Life’s Stage
THE NEED South Los Angeles residents are plagued by a perceived lack of hope and opportunity. • The area is characterized by low rates of educaBon and high rates of unemployment: Ø 43% have no high school diploma (almost double that of L.A. County)1
Ø Unemployment rate is 14.1%, (compared to L.A. County’s 8.2%)2
• High poverty rates: Ø 60% live 200% below poverty (double the % in L.A. County)3
• High rates of violence and crime: Ø Homicide is 6x that of L.A. County4
Ø The chance of being murdered is 9x higher than the naBonal average5
These condiBons affect a high proporBon of Black male youth, as South Los Angeles has 3x as many Black males as L.A. County.6
OUR SOLUTION ♂NYX is uniquely posiBoned to bring hope and opportunity to young Black men in South Los Angeles. • ♂NYX is laser-‐focused on helping young Black men get on track through Self ActualizaBon first (i.e., helping youth realize their value before driving academic and career outcomes): Ø This approach has led to striking results: 76% re-‐engaged in school; 80% graduated from high school or received their GED; 81% employed
• ♂NYX has successfully leveraged direct service work to create policy/systems change: Ø Along with our youth, we successfully advocated for the passing of six state-‐level policy changes. The ♂NYX model now serves as a vehicle to implement one of the key policies passed – The School Climate Bill of Rights (LAUSD)
♂NYX’s effecBveness within both the direct service and policy/systems change realms posiBons it to impact even greater numbers of young Black males throughout South Los Angeles.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
The Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade seeks an investment of $1.5M over two years to integrate the ♂NYX model into three schools. Aher demonstraBng results, we will advocate to incorporate ♂NYX into schools throughout South Los Angeles.
BMA INNOVATOR SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Nathan Sessoms Dr. Nathan Sessoms was selected for the inaugural cohort of Black Male Achievement Innovators because of his intenBonal and unapologeBc commitment to improving the life outcomes of Black men and boys. His passion for this work derives from his own life experience as a Black male raised without a father, and living in an area characterized by extreme poverty and the presence of crack cocaine. Through ♂NYX, he impacts the lives of young men who face challenges similar to his own. Dr. Sessoms has more than 16 years of experience in youth development and in developing highly effecBve academic and socio-‐behavioral programming for at-‐risk youth. He also led research on concentrated poverty and race relaBons at the University of Southern California and at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Sessoms is very much aware of the long-‐standing issues faced by Black men and boys, and believes that his success is ulBmately Bed to theirs. With this convicBon, he has dedicated his life to ensuring that this populaBon is prepared to succeed on life’s stage.
“Black Male Achievement truly begins in the mind of the Black male. The Brotherhood Crusade will remain intentional and unapologetic about developing initiatives that guide Black males toward success in school and in life.” − Dr. Nathan Sessoms
WHAT WORKS FOR THIS ISSUE Aher 45 years of working with Black male youth, we have learned that: • Self Actualiza2on is the criBcal foundaBon of our work. We need to help youth self actualize before they can achieve academic and career results.
• For youth to experience transformaBon, they must advance through the ♂NYX model and also lead others through the steps.
• ♂NYX can change the lives of Black male youth, but only by connecBng our direct service work with policy change can we impact the lives of millions.
BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT GUIDE | 2
Cita2ons (from front page): 1. Paul Ong, et al. “The State of South LA,” The UCLA School of Public Affairs
(2008): 11. 2. Annie Park, Nancy Watson, and Lark Galloway-‐Gilliam, “South Los
Angeles: Health Equity Scorecard,” Community Health Council (2008): 16. 3. Park, Watson, and Galloway-‐Gilliam, “Health Equity,” 90. 4. Park, Watson, and Galloway-‐Gilliam, “Health Equity,” 11. 5. Advancement Project. Citywide Gang Ac]vity Reduc]on Strategy: Phase
III Report. 2007, 11 6. The State of South LA, 5
The ♂NYX MODEL
SELF ACTUALIZATION
♂NYX works with young Black males (ages 10-‐24) by meeBng them where they are and taking them through the Self ActualizaBon process. Self ActualizaBon is rooted in helping parBcipants connect with the Black male experience, discovering who they are, and construcBng their own definiBons of personal success. During this phase, we provide parBcipants with mentoring, coaching, and exposure to outside opportuniBes and experiences before engaging them in any academic and career supports.
“We’ve learned that it is cri]cal for young men to self actualize and realize their own value, first. Only then, will youth aspire to and pursue their own academic and career achievement.” – Mr. George Weaver, Vice President of Special Programs
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ACADEMIC AND CAREER SUCCESS
Once youth self actualize, they are led through rigorous academic and career development phases: Learning (life-‐long educaBon), Thriving (highlighBng healthy lifestyles), Leading (through civic and community engagement), Connec2ng (building and sustaining relaBonships), and Working (developing professionalism and responsibility through internships and volunteering).
As youth progress through the steps, they begin to bring their peers to the program and lead them through the steps. This leadership highlights parBcipants’ transformaBon from self to community, and their desire to become agents of change.
PREPARATION FOR SUCCESS ON LIFE’S STAGE
Aher compleBng the phases and leading others through the process, parBcipants are prepared for success on life’s stage. They demonstrate increased academic proficiency, graduaBon rates, and sustained employment. They also take on leadership roles in their communiBes, have healthy relaBonships, and become producBve community members.
I learned vocational, life, and social skills, etiquette and grammar, table manners, and political advocacy. More importantly, I learned that I am a person of greatness and that I matter.
Brotherhood Crusade’s influence showed me that I have real value that will increase as I continue to put forth the effort to get educated and trained.
DANIEL ARROYO ♂NYX PARTICIPANT
”
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BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT GUIDE | 3
Financial Sustainability The Brotherhood Crusade’s financial sustainability strategy combines an emphasis on government funding, recognizing the total size potenBal of that resource, with private funding to achieve longer term sustainability. To support its two year growth, the organizaBon will seek funding from foundaBons and corporaBons, many of which have shown strong interest in ♂NYX and/or are commimed recurring funders. Over the longer term, the organizaBon aims for government to enact legislaBon that promotes the adopBon of ♂NYX’s processes and pracBces by allocaBng funding to programming focused on Black Male Achievement.
(Note: Fiscal year is January 1 – December 31.)
Program Performance and OrganizaTonal Health Below is a summary of key measures that ♂NYX tracks to ensure that the program and insBtuBon are aligned to support the iniBaBve’s two year goals (see p. 4 for two year goals).
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE
# of youth served 1,734 1,850 1,950
# of schools that have integrated the ♂NYX model -‐ 2 3
% of youth with job skills training 86% 95% 100%
% of youth with career exposure to at least one industry 86% 95% 100%
ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH
Create implementaBon plan for ♂NYX expansion, including enhancing performance measurement -‐ Engage consultant to
create plan Implement and track results
Increase staff capacity to integrate ♂NYX into three schools -‐ Hire program
administrator and 4 on-‐site staff
Hire 2 on-‐site staff
LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE
THE LEADERSHIP: ♂NYX is led by Dr. Nathan Sessoms, who has 16 years of experience in youth development within both the academic and non-‐profit fields. He has conducted extensive research on concentrated poverty and race relaBons, and has developed, managed, and evaluated highly effecBve academic and socio-‐behavioral programming for youth from diverse racial and socio-‐economic backgrounds.
George Weaver brings extensive experience in developing, implemenBng, and evaluaBng alternaBve youth educaBon programs for non-‐tradiBonal students. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood Crusade’s President and CEO, Charisse Bremond-‐Weaver, brings 24 years of experience in building successful corporate and community partnerships. Together, they created and implemented the Brotherhood Crusade’s Ten Year Strategic Plan to transform the community of South Los Angeles. In 2010, the Brotherhood Crusade won the NaBonal Criminal JusBce AssociaBon’s Award for Best Youth Development Program in the Western United States.
THE BOARD: The Brotherhood Crusade’s eight-‐member board consists of leaders from business, academia, government, and law. The board supports fundraising and program development needs, while bolstering partnerships with various community stakeholders in South Los Angeles.
2013 2014 (P) 2015 (P)
KEY INVESTORS
• California Gang ReducBon and IntervenBon Program • City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office • The California Endowment • California Community FoundaBon • James Irvine FoundaBon • Weingart FoundaBon • Ralph’s and Kroger FoundaBon • US Soccer FoundaBon • The Galaxy FoundaBon • Leon Lowenstein FoundaBon • California Wellness FoundaBon • Fuserna FoundaBon • SEIU-‐ULTCW
• J.P. Morgan Chase • Wells Fargo • Comerica Bank • US Bank • Bank of America • Boeing • Northern Trust • Toyota • Microsoh • Southwest Airlines • AEG Worldwide • AT&T • State Farm • Verizon
$-‐ $500,000
$1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,500,000 $5,000,000
OrganizaTonal Revenue
Events and Other
Individuals
FoundaBons
CorporaBons
Government
BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT GUIDE | 4
Social Impact: Improving The Lives of Black Men and Boys
The ♂NYX model seeks to create change at both the individual (youth) and systems (policy) levels, maximizing the opportunity for young Black males to succeed in school and in life.
THE JOURNEY OF LAZARRIUS TAYLOR
Exposed to traumaBc experiences at an early age, Lazarrius lost his mother at 11, was abandoned by his father, got involved in gangs, and was shot and arrested at 14.
His probaBon officer enrolled him in ♂NYX – a moment that changed his life.
Since then, Lazarrius has re-‐engaged in school, significantly improved his academic performance, and graduated from high school.
He also gained invaluable life and work experience, which led to a full-‐Bme job paying $15 an hour. Finally, he repaired his fractured family relaBonships.
Lazarrius spent last summer in Botswana building huts for and mentoring children who lost their parents to HIV. He is now serving as a mentor to other youth and preparing to enroll in college.
“I wake up everyday moTvated by this.”
-‐LAZARRIUS TAYLOR
Self ActualizaTon Results
% Decrease in recidivism rates 78% (9% recidivism vs. 60% in L.A. County)
% Decrease in negaBve school incidents 95%
% Youth re-‐engaged in school 76%
Academic Results
% Improvement in academic performance 79%
% Improvement in 8th Grade Math Scores 85%
% Improvement in 8th Grade ELA Scores 153%
% Increase in graduaBon rates 80%
Career Results
% Increase in employment 81%
♂NYX tracks its social impact in three categories: Self ActualizaBon, Academic, and Career. The most criBcal are Self ActualizaBon outcomes, parBcularly the % of youth whom ♂NYX helps to get on track (e.g., youth re-‐engaged in school). Only through Self ActualizaBon -‐-‐ when youth realize their own value and put in the effort needed -‐-‐ do we begin to see evidence of improvement in the academic and career areas.
♂NYX’s strong emphasis on Self ActualizaBon has produced striking results:
Leads To..
Advocacy Results: ♂NYX not only gets young Black males on track, it also equips and empowers them to become involved in policy and systems change. The Brotherhood Crusade, along with our young men, successfully advocated for the passing of six state-‐level policies, including the School Climate Bill of Rights (for which ♂NYX is now being used as a vehicle for implementaBon).
The ♂NYX model is specifically designed to improve the life outcomes of Black men and boys, using Self ActualizaBon as the foundaBon for their transformaBon.
We know that, in order to reach Black male youth throughout South Los Angeles, the model must be integrated within the schools.
♂NYX will uBlize our school-‐based results (from the three schools in our two year goals) to advocate for Black Male Achievement programming to be incorporated into schools throughout South Los Angeles.
ADVANCING BLACK MALE ACHIEVEMENT
To drive toward our vision, we will:
Integrate ♂NYX into three schools as a vehicle to implement the School Climate Bill of Rights, reaching an addi2onal 200 students.
Aher demonstraBng results from these schools, we will advocate to incorporate the ♂NYX model throughout schools in South Los Angeles.
WHAT IT TAKES: $1.5M over two years
$1.5M will serve 200 youth over two years. These youth will go on to be successful on life’s stage and provide significant returns to society:
Average cost of probaBon camp
$88,000 per youth per year
vs.
Average cost of serving ♂NYX youth
$7,500 per youth per year
A STRONG RETURN ON INVESTMENT
$244K Increased tax revenue $9M Reduced incarceraBon costs
$9.2M Return to society over 2 years
5.2x Return On Investment
$9.2M Return to Society -‐ $1.5M Investment $1.5M Investment
OUR VISION OUR 2 YEAR GOALS