Annual Newsletter
Fall 2015
CELEBRATING OUR SEVENTH YEAR EQUIPPING AT-RISK YOUTH WITH FOUNDATIONAL
LIFE SKILLS. WE ARE “FILLING IN THE MISSING PIECES OF ADULTHOOD.”
Progressions to Manhood
Celebrating 2014-2015
Capacity Building A key focus for Acts4Youth this year
was strengthening capacity as we prepared for future
growth. We hired a second student/parent advisor, an
administrative and curricula development specialist, and a
program quality manager. We also created an Acts4Youthspecific curriculum, program evaluation tools, and a
database to track outcomes.
Leadership Acts4Youth strengthened its leadership
component this year by introducing more practical
applications. Morgan State University students helped boys
present solutions to challenges in their communities, such as
crime and violence. Boys ran the heat press as a real
business for the first time. They earned $800, part of which
will go toward scholarships for camps and trips next year.
Job Placement For the first time, Acts4Youth mentors
helped high school boys find jobs. Six of eight tenth grade
students found work. One of them interacted with customers
so well that his boss moved him to the front counter, saying
“He’s better than adult staff at working through conflict.”
Celebrity Leaders Acts4Youth was honored to have two
celebrity figures inspire boys toward life change this year.
Harry Swain, Ravens’ Director of Player Development,
shared how leadership relates to faith, work, life skills, and
school. And Wes Moore spoke at Acts4Youth’s spring
banquet, sharing his journey from hardships in inner city
Baltimore to graduation from Johns Hopkins University as a
Rhodes Scholar. Generous donors at the banquet exceeded
our fundraising goal of $50,000 – thank you to everyone
who attended!
(Continues on back.)
Game Plan to Manhood
One night a week, middle school students meet off
campus for Game Plan to Manhood, a time of
intentional discipleship through discussion of
Scripture and prayer.
Any given week, you can find these boys gathered at a
local church discussing topics such as Jesus’ manhood,
facing temptation, and knowing God as father. They’ve
already shared a home-cooked meal and their eagerness
to move on to dodgeball is apparent in their fidgets.
As they begin praying together though, one group of
boys prays intensely for each other, current struggles,
and relationships with fathers. The time is so
meaningful that they continue praying long after
dodgeball has begun – an anomaly among any group of
middle school boys. One student later shares, “I know
God more by praying more. We had group prayers and
I let out emotions.”
Through such prayer times, discussions, and ongoing
mentoring, Game Plan to Manhood helps boys trust in
God’s character and promises. They come to
understand their identity from God’s point of view,
gain an eternal perspective, and grow in convictions.
(Continued from front.)
Anticipating 2015-2016
Private Schools A second student was accepted into private school this
spring, this time Cristo Rey high school. More sixth and seventh grade
students than ever are now considering private schools, and parents joined
us on high school visits for the first time.
Vision: To see Baltimore city youth
restored to personal, social and
spiritual wholeness and thriving
within their communities.
Mission: To nurture personal, social,
and spiritual growth for at-risk youth
in Baltimore City Schools through
comprehensive mentoring programs.
Girls Program: Shine Into Womanhood Acts4Youth is very excited to
share that we plan to launch a girls program this fall! After much prayer
and deliberation, we will begin the program with a group of 4th and 5th
grade girls at Walter P. Carter elementary/middle school. Just as we help boys grow into men of godly character, we will
help girls grow into women of godly character. The program is called Shine Into Womanhood, because it will focus on
developing the girls’ sense of their inner beauty and spirit in contrast to society’s emphasis on external appearance.
Game Plan Acts4Youth also plans to expand Game Plan to Manhood to include elementary and high school students.
Because Game Plan is our most spiritually focused time, we want to offer it to more students. During these weekly
gatherings at churches, small groups of boys meet with a mentor who connects relationally, shares life lessons, and leads
in prayer. The student parent advisor shares a biblical lesson with the large group, then mentors discuss related questions.
Gym visit confirms starting girls program
“Wow, look at all this stuff,” the boys remark to one
another as they enter Jay’s Next Level Fitness gym.
They ogle the workout equipment and laugh at pictures
of female body builders on the wall until the gym
owner walks in. Jay is 6’ 4,” 250 pounds, and pure
muscle. The boys grow silent in his presence.
Jay shares his history of growing up in a low-income
neighborhood without his dad around, joining the
military where he discovered he loves working out,
and working hard to start his own gym. His pride and
joy is his teenage daughter though. And she
unexpectedly stands up to share her own words.
She speaks of how her father has imparted a sense of
dignity and value to her, how he has empowered her by
modeling how a man should treat a woman. And she
instructs the boys to do the same rather than give in to
peer pressure in how they treat and view girls.
The possibility of starting an Acts4Youth girls
program was already present, but the words Jay’s
daughter shared confirmed the need for one. Most girls
in the Greater Govans community don’t have a father
present, let alone one who treats her like a lady. This
fall, Acts4Youth will begin the Shine Into
Womanhood program for girls to help redefine where
they get their sense of value and beauty.
Boys learn about character and initiative at Jay’s Next Level.
Part of Acts4Youth’s mission is to help students
grow spiritually. According to our new evaluation
tool:
 86% of students say they are learning to
believe that God accepts them.
 76% agree they are learning more about God;
80% say this affects what they say and do.
 61% pray more than they used to.
Acts4Youth ● PO Box 11068 ● Baltimore, MD 21212 ● 443-527-9982 ● www.acts4youth.org