Access Youth

Yield Giving Open Call
Awardee
"Access, Inc."

Access Youth’s mission is to keep DC’s most vulnerable youth in school and out of the justice system through mediation, restorative justice, and positive youth development. We hold the vision of an equitable education system where all students obtain the academic and emotional support needed to achieve their highest potential.

Last Updated: September 2024
Competition Participation
Yield Giving Open Call
Subject
Youth development
  • District of Columbia, United States of America
  • United States of America
  • Children & Youth (0-18 yrs.)
  • Economically disadvantaged people
  • Marginalized and oppressed groups
  • People in urban areas
  • People of African descent
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Executive Summary

Access Youth is on the frontlines at six of DC’s most underfunded schools and plays a critical role in the lives of Black students at risk of dropping out. Our education system is failing, and students of color are consistently pushed out of school and into the criminal justice system, a path that typically begins with truancy and/or suspension. Access Youth disrupts this racist cycle with a four-prong restorative model of support: relationship-building, opportunities and incentives, planning, goal setting, and accountability. Through an equity-focused and trauma-informed lens, our evidence-based programs––Truancy Prevention and Restorative Justice in Schools––replace punitive exclusionary discipline with proactive development of community caring, coping mechanisms, and conflict-resolution skills that help students develop empathy and an understanding of their behavior. Our programs result in fewer/less racially disparate suspensions, and improved school climate, teacher–student relationships, and academic achievement for 1000+ students yearly.

Access Youth plays an integral role in our schools, creating a community of resilience by building trust between students, families, and our full-time on-site Program Managers who share the lived experience of their students. At our six partner schools––Anacostia, Ballou, Eastern, and H.D. Woodson high schools and Johnson and Kramer middle schools––students receive daily support and learn skills not taught in classrooms: socio-emotional skills, peer mediation, leadership training, and life skills.

One student at a time, Access Youth increases equity in schools by empowering students with skills to break cycles of conflict, poverty, and trauma and become the role models they desperately need.

Organization Details
Lead Organization

"Access, Inc."

Organization Headquarters
District of Columbia, United States of America
Organization ID
26-2190029
Number of Full-time Employees
10 to 25
Annual Operating Budget
$1.1 to 5 Million
Type
Nonprofit

Charity, fund, non-governmental organization, religious institution, school, or other entity

Organizations may provide budget and employee data based on this proposal or the organization as a whole. For more information on this proposal or organization, please email us.

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