Acts4Youth, Inc
Filling in the Missing Pieces to Adulthood
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Game Plan to Manhood/Shine into Womanhood
Programs provide a strong foundation of faith and spiritual growth with culturally aware staff who are able to guide middle school students to deeper displays of character. Staff dedicate time to knowing the kids in and out of school so they can develop trusting relationships and understand their daily challenges. Frequent contact with the youth is important to ensuring maximum impact, and peer relationships are important to keeping students on the right track, so they meet weekly in the evenings to have relevant games, share a family meal, and have large and small group discussions on faith and its application to their lives. They develop a sisterhood and brotherhood where they help hold each other accountable and encourage one another to continue growing in all areas of their lives.
To reach a wider range of students, 3D Athlete runs after school with lessons on character and faith (drawn from Fellowship of Christian Athletes curriculum) in a sports context to develop kids spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Monthly breakfasts are held at partner schools and engage the "Most Valuable Men/Women" in students' lives. MVM/W strengthens meaningful relationships between these role models and their kids through discussions on faith and incorporating social-emotional learning and empathy into their interactions. Many students may not have family members to fill these roles, so volunteers are present with the youth so they know they are not alone.
Throughout the year, students also have the opportunity to go on retreats - getting into a peaceful setting away from the traumatic environment they are used to helps them to really connect with God, one another, and see the hope for a better future.
Together these programs surround students with love and accountability from God, trusted adults, peers, and self.
Foundations
At-risk youth frequently are missing foundational character traits and the social emotional tools to adequately handle the trauma in their daily lives. The Foundations in-school resource class is structured to not only provide these tools, but help students know how to apply them to real life situations. Before jumping into lessons, students have time to transition out of the chaos of their school environment and into a more peaceful state of mind where they can connect with the topics and one another. They then learn about healthy relationships, conflict resolution, emotional awareness, self-awareness, character, teamwork, and other non-cognitive topics. They get to share with one another situations that are actually going on and learn about applying these topics to handle them. Before they leave, they reflect on what they've learned and make a "trash-can thought" - something they have been thinking that needs to go in the trash can to be replaced with something positive. In these weekly classes, real relationships are built with the teacher and one another, which gives them a stronger support network as they seek to change ingrained behaviors.
Pathways
Students who have gone through our Game Plan and Shine programs have developed a strong foundation of faith and character in Middle School, and now they need help applying those concepts to High School and beyond. 9th and 10th graders graduate into the Pathways program and learn about becoming leaders in their communities, teams, and eventual work places. What does it look like to be a leader of strong character as it applies to your work? Your football team? How do you incorporate your faith and use your talents and skills to serve others? As many at-risk youth have not been provided some essential hard and soft job skills training at home, rising 10th and 11th graders participate in a summer internship where they visit businesses, practice interviewing, develop a portfolio for the job application process (including a resume, cover letter, letters of recommendation, etc). After completing the internship, students are matched with post-secondary coaches to help them implement their plans. Youth become effective leaders ready to succeed as they advance into college and the workforce.
Where we work
External reviews
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Acts4Youth, Inc
Board of directorsas of 04/29/2019
Mark Gratzer
Retired. Formerly with Northrup Grumman
Lawrence Baird
Mosaic Learning
Mark Gratzer
Formerly with Northrop Grumman Corporation
Jay Nwachu
Baltimore Corps
Adam Crowley
KPMG
Mark Felder
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Domonique Flowers
Social Security Administration
Robert Lindstrom
The Financial Consulate, Inc