The Mission
The mission of Empower Yourself is to create critical thinkers and problem solvers for the 21st century economy. We inspire and train the next generation of under-resourced urban students for high-paying careers in sustainable growth industries where they will thrive. We offer an academic curriculum and programs that focus on financial and economic literacy, life skills, and deep exploration in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Access to financial and STEM education is missing in schools in many urban Mass zip codes. Many children in urban areas don’t have the skills required for the new economy and families don’t have the resources to obtain them. There is an exposure deficit not only to STEM education but to teachers, mentors and professionals who represent and understand the pressing issues these communities face. These children are about to be left behind perpetuating cycles of poverty and significant lack of representation in these fields. According to the Pew Research Center, nationwide, among employed adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, African Americans comprise just 7% and Hispanics only 6% of the STEM workforce. Empower Yourself provides resources and opportunities for young people in communities around Massachusetts like Brockton to close the gap. Research affirms time and time again that access to quality, relevant education is the single most effective intervention in breaking cycles of poverty, crime and violence.
We engage the present and gain support from the past!
Our Alumni
Our former students have been accepted at some of the top colleges and universities in the country. Many come back to mentor and teach Empower Yourself summer program participants in conjunction with our corporate partners. With a focus on performance excellence, Empower Yourself alumni are continuously preparing to fulfill their roles as corporate and global leaders. If your organization has internship positions available that will contribute to the professional growth of these future leaders, please contact us.
Our Students
Our students participate in a year-long STEM and financial/economic literacy program which culminates in state, regional and national competitions. Though our students learn critical thinking skills, they understand the systems that drive financial decisions.
Our Outcomes
Would love to cut this area in half. Empower Yourself provides growth and mentorship for low income, predominantly Black and Hispanic students. Traditional jobs like assembly-line manufacturing for example are obsolete. In our programs students gain opportunities for exploration and success in highly paid tech careers where early competency is required. Internships give them real world experience and connections and make them competitive in college application processes. Last year we served between 150-200 urban students between the ages of 8 and 18 in Massachusetts in after school and summer programs for 21st century careers in 3D printing, coding, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, aeronautics, aviation, etc. Our high school students went from learning how to code to building and coding advanced drones within a year. They placed 2nd in the regional drone competition using Python and were the ONLY team to accomplish autonomous flight. Students at Brockton High are currently building and programming rockets. Empower Yourself participants have gone on to college with full scholarships. Our goal is to make STEM education, resources and financial/economic education easily accessible to those who are the most resource-challenged. One such area of outreach is to provide after school programs at housing developments such as Hill Homes, a 65-unit subsidized housing co-operative in Springfield, Mass. Empower Yourself is working with the co-op board to meet the needs of resident working families and their children right where they live Intervention of this kind has the potential to fundamentally alter the life trajectory of these children. Starting salaries for a college graduate with a coding degree is $195k. A career in STEM with well-managed finances can transform entire families and lift whole communities.
