Black Achievers Program
YMCA
Cleveland, Ohio

Nurturing Generations of Achievers
Quentin Mease first conceived the Black Achievers Program at the South Central YMCA in 1967 under the label Young Black Achievers of Houston. The success of the program is attributed to Dr. Leo B. Marsh, a financial consultant with the YMCA of Greater New York, who took notice and encouraged the establishment of The Black Achievers Program in 1971. The purpose was to motivate African-American teens to set educational and career goals. Though the name has been maintained to represent the historical origin and mission of the program, Black Achievers, like the YMCA, does not exclude anyone based on race. Since the 1970s, the program has expanded to more than 120 cities across the Nation; Cleveland, one of the most recent affiliates, joined in 2004.

Now more than ever, the youth of Cleveland are in need of the guidance a program like this one provides. Only 40 percent of African-American students graduate from high school in Ohio and only 33 percent in Cleveland. The unemployment rate among African Americans is more than double that of any other group.

The goal of the program is to support and encourage minority youth in the areas of academics, career exploration, and leadership development.

Solid Foundations
Students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to attend a variety of program activities led by adult volunteers who have demonstrated professional success. As students develop a solid foundation of academic, career, and social skills through these programs, they discover new opportunities and become more marketable to colleges and corporations. The program in Cleveland is small, with 50 to 200 students, 15 to 20 adult volunteers, and a full-time staff person.

Program activities typically occur throughout the school year at times convenient for the students. Another activity for youth participants is the Summer Leadership Institute for Teen Achievers. This annual program provides additional personalized attention to 25 to 30 teens.

Skills for the Journey Into Adulthood
Leadership development is an extremely important aspect of Black Achievers because it provides students the opportunity to acquire skills needed to survive the journey into adulthood. Students become officers of the Teen Achievers Club and learn how to effectively plan, manage meetings, raise funds, and carry themselves as leaders among their peers. The Black Achievers Program constantly focuses on leadership skills with Teen Achievers.

A teen advisory board was created for all teen programming in the YMCA. A Black Achievers representative is always present at the quarterly meetings. In addition, the Black Achievers president attends all Steering Committee meetings.

Youth-adult partnering occurs in every aspect of programming, such as career cluster meetings, club meetings, field trips, self-esteem seminars, academic workshops, forums, rallies, and much more.

Creative Recruiting
The youth in Black Achievers have felt like leaders since they joined the program. The program itself has been successful because youth members actively come up with ways to recruit new members. They have recruited within their respective schools and churches, and even local malls! Recently, Black Achievers went to a local mall and signed up 78 new members in 90 minutes. In its first year, the Cleveland Black Achievers program is set to have more than 150 teen members engaged in programming. Everyone who participates benefits from the program!

What Works
(1) Youth/teens
(2) Parents
(3) Adult volunteers
(4) Community support

Spread the Word
The Black Achievers program operates in more than 120 cities across the Nation. Some programs have changed the name to represent their communities: Hispanic, Minority, Teen, or Y Achievers.

While the YMCA Black Achievers program is new to Cleveland, it has already conducted a big marketing campaign.

Funding
The program receives money through corporations, foundations, and fundraising.