Ohio Urban Renaissance

OUR MISSION IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN INCLUSIVE BRAND THAT SERVES AS THE FOUNDATIONAL PLATFORM FOR YOUTH OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THROUGH PROGRAMMATIC INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE POSITIVE OUTCOMES AND PROGRESSIVE CHANGES IN THE CULTURAL CLIMATE OF THE INNER CITY. THROUGH OUR PRIMARY FOCUS ON YOUTH OUTREACH AND ENRICHMENT, WE DESIGN PROGRAMS FOR UNDERSERVED STUDENTS THAT PROVIDE MENTORSHIP AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WHILE BRIDGING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION PERSISTENCE, CAREER PATHWAYS, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES FOR YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES AS THEY TRANSITION INTO EARLY ADULTHOOD.

INITIATIVE FOR COLLEGE ACADEMICS NOW (I CAN) - IS A COLLEGE PREPARATORY PROGRAM AIMED AT ENCOURAGING INNER-CITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARD THE PATH OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION. ICAN ASSISTS STUDENTS WITH THEIR CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL STUDIES AND HELPS THEM TO EFFECTIVELY NAVIGATE THEIR SOCIO-EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPE. ICAN PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLEGE CREDIT PROCUREMENT AND INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CERTIFICATIONS WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND FOLLOWS STUDENTS THROUGH THE COMPLETION OF THEIR RESPECTIVE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CAREER PATHWAYS. ICAN CURRENTLY SERVES OVER 90 STUDENTS AND HAS AIDED IN THE ENROLLMENT AND SUPPORT OF 30 PLUS FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS SPANNING INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. ADDITIONALLY, ICAN WAS AWARDED FUNDING SUPPORT FROM THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE AND PARTNERED WITH YOUNGSTOWN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PROVIDE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. ICAN ALSO WORKED WITH THE STUDENTS FROM EASTERN GATEWAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, STUDENTS FROM THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY, AND YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY'S DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.

JUST BALL - JUST BALL AMONGST LIFE LESSONS (BALL) IS A SERIES OF YOUTH RECREATIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES GEARED TOWARDS ENGAGING AND MOTIVATING LOCAL AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE, SOCIALLY INVOLVED, AND HIGHER ACHIEVING STUDENTS AS THEY WORK THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND TRANSITION INTO EARLY ADULTHOOD. OVER 150+ YOUTH HAVE BEEN SERVED TO DATE. OUR JUST BALL PROGRAM BOASTS A 100% GRADUATION RATE FOR PARTICIPATING SENIORS WITH MARKED IMPROVEMENTS IN GRADES, ATTENDANCE, BEHAVIOR, ATTITUDE, AND FITNESS LEVELS FOR ALL STUDENTS. BALL IS FIT WITH MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS AND WORKSHOPS COVERING JOB READINESS AND SOFT SKILLS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, NUTRITION AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES, AS WELL AS MANY OTHER SOCIO-EMOTIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

O.U.R. PREP ACADEMY IS A POST-SECONDARY BRIDGE PROGRAM AND AN EXTENSION OF OUR ICAN PROGRAM. OUR PREP ACADEMY FUNCTIONS AS A SEPARATE PHASE OF PROGRAMMING AND TARGETS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES INTERESTED IN PURSUING POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AS EITHER STUDENTS OR STUDENT-ATHLETES BUT DUE TO THEIR VARYING CIRCUMSTANCES MAY NOT BE READY FOR FULL-TIME ENROLLMENT. OUR PREP AFFORDS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES IN THE YEAR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING GRADUATION WITH SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE TO AID IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT ACADEMICALLY, PERSONALLY, SOCIALLY, OR ATHLETICALLY WHILE PREPARING THEM TO ACHIEVE AT THE NEXT LEVEL. OUR PREP ASSISTED WITH THE APPLICATION, FAFSA, AND ENROLLMENT OF OVER 20 STUDENTS INTO COLLEGE PART-TIME WITH ALL STUDENTS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSFERRING INTO FULL-TIME COLLEGE STUDENTS.

OUR REACH MENTORING PROGRAM IS A SPECIALIZED YOUTH ASSESSMENT AND MENTORSHIP PROGRAM IDENTIFYING AND TARGETING HIGH SCHOOL TO LATE ADOLESCENTS AS THEY TRANSITION INTO EARLY ADULTHOOD. REACH AIMS TO HELP YOUTH DEAL WITH THE DAILY NEGATIVE ISSUES THAT HAVE BECOME A NORMAL SOURCE OF DYSFUNCTION AND TRAUMA WITHIN THE URBAN LANDSCAPE. THROUGH HEALTHY MENTOR-TO-MENTEE RELATIONSHIPS, EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, AND ACTIVITIES, PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DIALOGUE AND EXPLORE TOPICS RELATING TO CRIME PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION; SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND RECOVERY; CONFLICT MEDIATION AND RESOLUTION; POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT; TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND PARENTHOOD; ALONG WITH VARIOUS OTHER DEGREES OF APPLICABLE MENTAL, PHYSICAL, AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. REACH MENTORSHIP ACTIVELY SERVES OVER 200+ AT-RISK YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.