"We make a living by what we get,we make a life by what we give."
-Sir Winston Churchill
"We make a living by what we get,we make a life by what we give."
-Sir Winston Churchill
CHALLENGE
According to the US Census Bureau, 46% of black children and 40% of Latino children live in poverty. Income has a high correlation with educational levels.
According to the Civil Rights Data Collection's 2009 - 2010 statistics from 72,000 schools in 7,000 districts, serving about 85% of the nation's students: Overall, black students were three and a half times as likely to be suspended or expelled than their white peers, undoubtedly paving the way for students to fall behind and drop out.
Unemployment rates are usually closely tied to factors such as education, language barriers and criminal backgrounds - factors that plague the Harlem community and hinder the re-engagement of disconnected youths.
With a national high school enrollment rate of 56% of African Americans as of 2007, only 43% of these students graduated. New York City has three of the 10 districts with the lowest graduation rates for African American males.they teach and bring this enthusiasm into their lessons.
OPPORTUNITY
Project Brownstone, Inc. sees an opportunity for its services based on the following:
- This is a community-based response to the lack of exposure to opportunities available to underserved youths in the community.
- To correct the internal dialogue that hinders growth
- We present an opportunity for conversations amongst urban youths to find context
- We create an opportunity to live outside of the realm of possibility
- We present the opportunity for underserved youths to change their mentality, in turn, their lives
- Compelling bodies of research show parent involvement & community engagement make a broad difference
- We can offer holistic ways to increase college enrollment and completion rates
- Peer-to-peer involvement and internships provide training and experience.
PROJECTS
Project Brownstone offers the following:
Textbook Stipend Project assists 10 underserved Harlem high school graduates transition to full-time college/university studies.
The program will extend Project Brownstone's influence and guidance, plus provide much-needed financial assistance for kids that cannot afford to purchase textbooks, which can hinder academic progress.
The Literacy Project is a way to further engage students of the Textbook Stipend Project to bring literacy to underachieving students in grades K-3rd by reading to them. This is a way to plant the seeds that we hope will help to create a college-going culture. This is a great way to teach students about community engagement.
Video Project: "The Impact of Knowledge," is a compilation of live testimonials to emphasize the value of access and knowledge about the past - and how it informs the present and the future.