Black Self Help Information

Urban Ed

Urban Ed

Urban Ed, Inc., is a community development organization whose mission is to provide education, information and skill development to low-income people of color to foster economic independence. The organization carries out its mission by focusing on advanced training in employment sectors that offer jobs with stability, mobility, and above-average wages. We also advocate for and organize people to change and/or remove common institutional barriers to their gaining financial independence. Urban Ed's current focus is within the technology sector and we are implementing our Pathways to Prosperity initiative which consist of employment strategies that provide intensive advanced training in computer programming to low- to no-income youth and young adults ranging in age from 13 and up. Our programs serve as the catalyst for systematic change among the segment of the population that has been disenfranchised due to their low income levels, their academic performance, their race and in some cases their delinquent background. We promote leadership, academic performance, and workforce preparation to enable these underserved youth to be competitive members of society and challenge the status quo

National Black Home Educators

National Black Home Educators

The National Black Home Educators Resource Association (NBHERA) is a resource network founded by Eric and Joyce Burges in July 2000. This association will encourage, support and offer fellowship to families who are exploring benefits of home education. Eric and his wife, Joyce, have homeschooled for nearly l4 years. ...

The National Black Home Educators Resource Association, a premier networking organization founded by the Burgeses, was created to serve the community by providing assistance with information about getting started homeschool, networking/connecting veteran families with new families, recommending resources such as books, music, films, speaking information, curriculum, etc. NBHERA's mission endeavors to empower parents to educate their children for excellence.

Black Star Project

Black Star Project

The Black Star Project provides educational services that help pre-school children, elementary and high school students, and college students (with the support of their families) succeed academically. Additionally, we help students aspire to higher education and post-secondary school training while seeking careers that will be emotionally, intellectually and financially rewarding. While our services are available to all students, we particularly direct our services to low-income African American, Latino and Native American students in low-achieving schools.

   

Black Women In Sisterhood for Action (BISA)

Black Women In Sisterhood for Action (BISA)

Black Women In Sisterhood for Action (BISA) was founded on January 10, 1980, as a non-profit organization, whose purposes are to develop and promote alternative strategies for educational and career development of black women; provide scholarship assistance to young black women; provide support and social assistance for senior black women in the community; share information in meaningful ways with the community at-large; and to provide leadership, role models, and mentors for young black women. For the past 25 years, BISA has been publishing annual calendars of distinguished black women, who serve as role models and mentors for BISA's scholarship recipients. It is through the support of BISA's philosophy, goals, and programs and the marketing of BISA's calendar, posters, reference books, and annual gala conference that BISA is able to support its national scholarship program. Other support is obtained from individual contributions and the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). We have sponsored 22 gala programs honoring 301 distinguished black women to date. In addition, we have published four major reference books and 25 calendars.

Black Excel

Black Excel

The college help network.

The Black Collegian

The Black Collegian

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online provides cutting-edge information on career resources for Black collegians. Job search strategies, graduate school opportunities, career and industry reports are explored. This site is the cyberspace partner of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine, serving the career and self-development interests of African-American collegians since 1970.

Black Star Project

Black Star Project

Schools cannot educate children without the support of parents, families and communities.  Good teachers and administrators are invaluable to the educational process, but they are not miracle workers.  Schools, by themselves, do not educate children; they simply reinforce and expand what children already know when they come to school.  What happens in a school is important; but just as important is what happens in the home and the community where the child lives.  Societal structures, value systems, cultures, institutions, and positive environments are powerful influencers of education in children.  Good schools seldom (if ever) create good communities; but good communities usually create good schools!  Active and involved parents, families, communities are necessary to educate children.

Founded in 1996 by Phillip Jackson, The Black Star Project is committed to improving the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap.  Our mission is to provide educational services that help pre-school through college students succeed academically and become knowledgeable and productive citizens with the support of their parents, families, schools and communities. Additionally, we help students aspire to post-secondary educational opportunities and training while exploring careers that will be emotionally, intellectually and financially rewarding.  Our services are available to all students, particularly low-income Black and Latino students who attend low-achieving schools in disadvantaged communities.  In order to achieve our goal of eliminating the racial academic achievement gap, we concentrate on three main areas of initiative: student engagement, parental development and advocacy.  The Black Star Project conducts its programming and varied approaches to closing the racial academic achievement gap primarily through parent and student leadership development and advocacy.

Black Family Network

Black Family Network

Career Communications Group, Inc (CCG) was founded over 20 years ago with a unique mission: To promote significant minority achievement in engineering, science and technology. As a minority-owned media services company, we recognize the mandate to promote excellence to our youth by telling the stories of the thousands of unheralded people striving for success. Through our inspiring magazines, award-winning syndicated television programs, and annual national conferences, CCG reaches thousands of Black students and professionals each year. It is through our continuous research and relationships that we are addressing this urgent need: To promote opportunities for the Black Community to take a leadership role in developing and teaching its children and professionals about the work of technology, and to ensure that we will have a role in this phenomenon, if we are prepared. The field of technology is the future. Studies show that Information Technology is already outstripping all other industries in economic growth. As a community, it is critical that we become a major part of the economy of the next millennium. Education and job-preparedness are the guarantees we need to find our place in that development.

A Better Chance

A Better Chance

A Better Chance is a national non-profit talent search organization. Through the College Preparatory Schools Program, we recruit talented students of color to place them in outstanding independent and public schools. A Better Chance does not give scholarships. We match students with schools.

The African American Homeschoolers Network

The African American Homeschoolers Network

The African American Homeschoolers Network is an organization established for families seeking educational resources. Founded by Meka Hunt and Akosua Magee in 2002, the network has grown consistently. Resources for members include our list group. tons of information within the web site, and workshops and conferences on relevant topics.

The National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance

The National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance

The National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance was born out of a desire to unite African-American homeschoolers nationally. Launched in January 2003, NAAHA is a decidedly nonsectarian organization where all families' religious values are appreciated and welcomed. In fact, we are the only nonsectarian organization for African-American home schooling families. We think this is important because we want all of our information to be accessible to all families without a religious bias. We currently have members who are Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist as well as families who practice non- faith based home education.

National Urban League

National Urban League

Established in 1910, The Urban League is the nation's oldest and largest community- based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League, headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 35 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services to more than 2 million people nationwide through programs, advocacy and research.

National Salute to Black Achievers in Industry

National Salute to Black Achievers in Industry

The BAI Mentor Program

The Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry (BAI) Mentor Program is a citywide program that recruits Black Achievers who are employed by Fortune 500 corporations to serve as role models to 50 high school students annually in a one-to-one relationship.

The Mentor Program was founded in 1988 to match BAI alumni with middle school and high school students in hopes of creating future black leaders.

U.S. Dream Academy

U.S. Dream Academy

Empower at-risk children and youth to maximize their potential by providing them with the academic, social and values enrichment through supportive mentoring and the use of technology.

Through aggressive and innovative academic enrichment and mentoring, the U.S. Dream Academy is working to build the dreams of the children of prisoners and those failing in school; and to provide the tools that they need to achieve their dreams. The U.S. Dream Academy recognizes that the "digital divide" that exists in many of the nation's disadvantaged communities further divides the haves and have-nots. Development of computer skills and access to the Internet are central elements of the U.S. Dream Academy's service delivery.U.S. Dream Academy

Empower at-risk children and youth to maximize their potential by providing them with the academic, social and values enrichment through supportive mentoring and the use of technology.

Through aggressive and innovative academic enrichment and mentoring, the U.S. Dream Academy is working to build the dreams of the children of prisoners and those failing in school; and to provide the tools that they need to achieve their dreams. The U.S. Dream Academy recognizes that the "digital divide" that exists in many of the nation's disadvantaged communities further divides the haves and have-nots. Development of computer skills and access to the Internet are central elements of the U.S. Dream Academy's service delivery.

The Tutor/Mentor Connection

The Tutor/Mentor Connection

The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) mission is: To gather and organize all that is known about successful non-school tutor/mentor programs and share that knowledge to expand the availability and enhance the effectiveness of these services to children in inner city Chicago and other poverty areas.

This mission is accomplished through a four-part strategy. 1) It aims to increase knowledge about what works, where programs are located and where more are needed. 2) It aggressively shares this knowledge in a marketing and public awareness campaign aimed at 3) creating a greater involvement of all adults, and a greater flow of essential resources to individual programs; and a 4) better understanding among all stakeholders of the long-term, integrated actions needed to help children and youth move from a birth in poverty to a job and a career. For each child this is a minimum 25-year commitment.

The Algebra Project

The Algebra Project

The Algebra Project is a national mathematics literacy effort aimed at helping low income students and students of color--particularly African American and Latino/a students--successfully achieve mathematical skills that are a prerequisite for a college preparatory mathematics sequence in high school full citizenship in today's technological society.

The Frederick Douglass Organization

The Frederick Douglass Organization    

Frederick Douglass, IV and his wife B.J., founders of The Frederick Douglass Organization (FDO) are dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of Frederick IV's great-great grand father the famed orator, author and statesmen and editor through lecturing and re-enacting speeches and life episodes of his great grandfather Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey Douglass.

    

One of the major thrusts of this organization is to promote financial literacy, bridge the digital divide, promote small businesses, economic development and to save our youth. FDO awards scholarships to deserving students and makes them aware that the genesis of transforming their lives revolves around providing them with opportunities to enhance their reading, writing, and oratorical skills through involving them in real life, real time experiences that serve to enhance their skills in these vital areas as well as build self esteem.

On Our Shoulders

On Our Shoulders

The On Our Shoulders program was created out of the empathy felt by its founder, Ray Cook, as he watched countless youths die and become victims of violence on the streets of Baltimore.

The counseling, education and skills training offered by On Our Shoulders helps young people develop career potential and connections to advanced education.

The program components include:

• Group Sessions
• On The Job Training
• Skill Enhancements
• Criminal Assessment

Advanced education will be based on academic performance, attendance, punctuality, and commitment to the program. Our youth will need to demonstrate a high degree of motivation within the program to receive a court representation and assessment verification.

100 Strong Male Role Models

From the Afro American Newspaper:

100 Strong Male Role Models, an organization with its genesis at Woodlawn High School, which for years scrambled to find its identity, and only in this academic year actually became 100 strong, has not only conquered Woodlawn High, it now wants to go national, all in the space of one academic year. This is a bold move for any organization, but particularly for an organization which is largely lead and regulated by its high school membership.

They are determined to spread the good word about the 100 Strong organization and establish new chapters. Their mission will take them to five states within in a three month period.

The organization was started at Woodlawn High School in 1991 by Joseph Wolfolk, a History Teacher, who believed that remarkable things could happen to turn-around any school if a positive tone and high academic standards were set by a significant number of male students who were developed into role models, specifically 100.

..

Throughout the year these young men have been engaged in school beautification projects, providing peer mentoring at Woodlawn High and Woodlawn Middle School, food collection drives, providing landscaping services at Benjamin Banneker Museum, marching in parades, and appearing at public speaking engagements.

Moreover, the program has proven its ability to turn many of its members around academically, shifting them from mediocrity to excellence and on the road to college and futures.

Each boy is carefully groomed and monitored by peer members.

Their actions and discipline have gained them the respect of fellow Woodlawn students who recognize them as school leaders.

Etiquette, good manners, courtesy in speech and behavior, self respect and respect for others are all attributes which are emphasized by the organization.

From the Baltimore Examiner

Urban Prep Academy for Young Men

Urban Prep Academy for Young Men

The mission of Urban Prep is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality college preparatory education to young men that results in graduates succeeding in college

Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young men, located in the Englewood community on Chicago's South Side, is Chicago's first and only charter public school for boys. Founded by a group of African-American education, business and civic leaders, and approved under Chicago Public Schools' Renaissance 2010 program, Urban Prep is part of Chicago’s groundbreaking effort to support innovative new schools that better meet the diverse needs of our city’s youth. Urban Prep’s mission is to provide a high-quality and comprehensive college-preparatory educational experience to young men that results in graduates succeeding in college. It is a direct response to the urgent need to reverse abysmal graduation and college completion rates among young men in urban centers, particularly African-American males. Urban Prep’s tailored curriculum is based on the developmental stages and learning styles of boys as well as the unique challenges facing urban youth. The Urban Prep motto is "We Believe." We believe that our students will shatter negative stereotypes and defy low expectations. We believe that our students can be prepared for and will succeed in college. We believe in the long-lasting impact community support and positive role models can have on our students' lives. In short, we believe in our students' futures. At Urban Prep, we believe.

Baby Steps

Baby Steps

Baby Steps is designed to teach mostly low-income parents of pre-schoolers how to prepare their children for success in school and in life-- even if the parents themselves never experienced much success in school. Target clients are parents of children from birth to age 5. The program provides resources, training, books and instruction, including home visits during which appropriate intellectual and language development skills are modeled. Baby Steps does not work directly with children but endeavors to reach the children by engaging their parents through workshops, talk sessions, home visits and training seminars run by specialists in early-childhood education.

From the Founder

I believe that all parents, no matter how unsuccessful they might have been in school, want their children to succeed academically. I also believe that they can be taught how to make this possible.
That simple credo is at the heart of the program I have undertaken for the children of Okolona, Mississippi--my birthplace and still my psychic hometown. I call the program Baby Steps, for two reasons. First, it emphasizes the importance of an early start if we are to reverse the trend of educational failure, particularly among minority youth. It must begin with the little ones, the babies, while they are still full of possibilities and have not become associated with failure. Second, though, Baby Steps signals the possibility of longer, sturdier, more self-assured strides later on.

I believe we have the possibility of transforming our town by lifting up its children. And if I am right, there is every reason to believe our successful model can be replicated in communities across America.
But decades of journalism have taught me to be wary of grandiose save-the-world schemes. The important thing, I believe, is to get it right and make it work somewhere before trying to do it everywhere. That’s why we begin with Baby Steps.

Baby Steps

Baby Steps is designed to teach mostly low-income parents of pre-schoolers how to prepare their children for success in school and in life-- even if the parents themselves never experienced much success in school. Target clients are parents of children from birth to age 5. The program provides resources, training, books and instruction, including home visits during which appropriate intellectual and language development skills are modeled. Baby Steps does not work directly with children but endeavors to reach the children by engaging their parents through workshops, talk sessions, home visits and training seminars run by specialists in early-childhood education.

From the Founder

I believe that all parents, no matter how unsuccessful they might have been in school, want their children to succeed academically. I also believe that they can be taught how to make this possible.
That simple credo is at the heart of the program I have undertaken for the children of Okolona, Mississippi--my birthplace and still my psychic hometown. I call the program Baby Steps, for two reasons. First, it emphasizes the importance of an early start if we are to reverse the trend of educational failure, particularly among minority youth. It must begin with the little ones, the babies, while they are still full of possibilities and have not become associated with failure. Second, though, Baby Steps signals the possibility of longer, sturdier, more self-assured strides later on.

I believe we have the possibility of transforming our town by lifting up its children. And if I am right, there is every reason to believe our successful model can be replicated in communities across America.
But decades of journalism have taught me to be wary of grandiose save-the-world schemes. The important thing, I believe, is to get it right and make it work somewhere before trying to do it everywhere. That’s why we begin with Baby Steps.