This winter 2012, Youth Action will launch its service year theme project entitled:

Empowering Youth through Education: Promoting College Readiness and Access for African American Youth

For the past year, Youth Action members have researched and developed an innovative youth-led service project intended to excite and instruct at-risk students on how a college education can help them become positive contributing members of society.

Youth Action’s inspiration for this project came after careful reflection of educational inequalities in Philadelphia and beyond.  “Not only are many students unenthusiastic about going to college, but many are neither and prepared apply to college” says Youth Action Vice-President and Spokesperson Gavin Grant.

Research reveals that students continue to lack educational opportunities that could help them gain college enrollment, graduate, and achieve post secondary school success. Although greater numbers of students are enrolling in college today than thirty years ago, the percentage of college enrollment for African Americans, and Latinos, remain considerably lower than their white counterparts. Experts agree that the primary reason that poor and underrepresented students do not enter and graduate from college is that they are poorly prepared to meet even the minimal requirements to do well there.

Beginning this winter 2012, Youth Action will commence a youth-led college readiness program intended to encourage middle and high school students on early preparation for college.  By educating youth on the importance of becoming aware and prepared early for college, Youth Action wants to motivate and empower students of color in low-income areas to view college as a viable option for their lives. In an effort to produce serious results, YA members have properly educated themselves on some of the issues contributing to the disproportionate number of African Americans receiving a college degree. Youth Action is working to craft events and projects that will increase their peers’ awareness on this subject matter so they can make informed decisions on seeking a college education.

To successfully implement the goals of this project, Youth Action members will are involved in at least one of four components of this service project. Members are currently working in their subcommittees organizing and installing the following service programs for the upcoming year:

• Youth Action College Readiness Program: Youth Action will create an unique youth-led one-year college readiness program which will solicit twenty to twenty-five high school juniors to participate in a twice a month program that will engage them on how a college education can shape their future. The program intends to review the college application process with the students and offer one-on-one college mentoring, assistance with college essays, a resume workshop, college interview training, financial aid seminar, and a college tour free of cost. Those in the program will also be exposed to service by participating in Youth Action’s volunteer program. Participants who successfully complete the program will be eligible to receive a scholarship from Youth Action.

 

• Youth Action College Day: Members of Youth Action are organizing a college day event where high school students will be paired with college students who have similar academic career interests for networking and mentoring sessions on college admissions and career planning. The college day will also feature keynote speakers, student-led college panels, admission officers, and college admissions resources available.

 

• Youth Action College Information Dissemination- Youth Action members are coordinating the design and production of innovative college admissions and college life materials for current and future middle and high school students to utilize. Members are in the process of creating an interactive, youth-captivating video and pamphlet geared to students of color on college access, admissions and life. The video and pamphlet will include stories from college students about their college experience, high school YA members on why they wish to attend college, and student perspectives on the educational inequity.  YA will also create a blog where Youth Action college members can share important tips about preparing for college and what high school students should expect in college.

 

• Junior Youth Action- Youth Action’s Junior Youth Action mentors will incorporate college awareness and early preparation activities into its Junior Youth Action session curriculum. Though Junior Youth Action mentors will work closely with each student in their program on this, the mentors will pay close attention to helping its middle school program participants on encouraging them to begin college preparation now.

 

Christina Hardison, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business freshman and Program Manager for Youth Action’s College Day says, “I am very excited to work with Youth Action in creating the College Day program. This will be [the college day] a fantastic way for high school students to interact with college students and we hope that they can walk away from our event both informed and connected.”

Youth Action is committed to the notion that education catapults students to assume positions of leadership and social responsibility in society. And Youth Action also believes that education is essential to increasing their peers’ awareness on skill-sets, resources, and networks needed to affect positive social change in their communities. Hence, this is why 97% of YA members have gone on the pursue advance degrees and have graduated from outstanding higher educational institutions.

 

For more information and details about Youth Action’s Empowering Youth through Education:  Promoting College Readiness and Access for African American Youth service project, please contact Gavin Grant at ggrant@youthactionteam.org or 1-888-Youth90 ext 901.