Detroit, MI (November 2021)—The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be an incredibly challenging time for students, parents and teachers alike. The stressors of online schooling and work-from-home set-ups created less than ideal environments for families. Luckily, spaces like the Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG) exist, a free academic and athletic program that provides Detroit students with the tools they need to succeed. Since 2007, the organization has provided tutoring, mentorship, enrichment programs, college and career prep, social-emotional skills building, and basic needs support.

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Ferndale, MI (June 2021)—Growing up, we all want to fit in. We all want to be a part of a community. Statistics show LGBTQ+ youth are marginalized significantly more frequently than other youth. What’s more, LGBTQ+ youth, particularly minority youth, face greater rates of discrimination and unemployment compared to their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts.

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Detroit, MI (February 2021)—Research by Johns Hopkins University shows that students who are most likely to drop out of school can be identified as early as 6th grade. This is determined by looking at early warning indicators: poor attendance, disruptive behavior and course failure in English or math. In Detroit, a disproportionate number of students exhibit these indicators.

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Detroit, MI (September 2020)—Kindergarten readiness is a powerful predictor of success later in life. Science shows 80 to 90 percent of the brain is developed by age three, making early childhood the critical time for children to experience high-quality programming. In Detroit, STEAM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) is not readily available for families in need.

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Detroit, MI (June 2020)— Khali Sweeney grew up in the Detroit Public Schools not knowing how to read or write. He remembers the narrative that was reinforced to him over and over again — “it doesn’t matter what you do, you’re going to be dead or in jail by the time you’re 21.” It’s a narrative he never forgot, and one of his motivations in creating the Downtown Boxing Gym.

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The majority of jobs in Michigan – 62 percent – require a post-secondary education. Many underserved students are unable attain these jobs and the economic security that they will provide because they do not meet the education criteria. In community colleges, for example, only a fifth of students graduate.  Students often struggle as they navigate complex college requirements and juggle the demands of work, family and financial obligations.

Founded in 2013, Promise Schools was created with a specific purpose: to ensure all scholars regardless of circumstance, race or socioeconomic status, can confidently pursue their life’s aspirations. Its two schools in Northwest Detroit provide a quality college-prep education to more than 800 scholars yearly, empowering them with skills to achieve their ambitions.

As one of the city’s longest-standing tuition-free public charter school systems in Detroit, U Prep has served thousands of students since 2000. One of its missions is to keep a 90/90 promise, which guarantees a minimum graduation rate of 90 percent and college acceptance rate of 90 percent. U Prep has surpassed this standard with every graduating class since its first in 2007.