When the crisis of the coronavirus hit Charlotte, the United Way of Central Carolinas and Foundation For The Carolinas partnered to launch the COVID-19 Response Fund.
The COVID-19 Response Fund supports a range of nonprofits assisting the people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Importantly, this fund will help not just those who get sick but also those who are economically impacted.
One of the recipients of the grants was UrbanPromise Charlotte, which received $20,000 to fund its summer program.
UrbanPromise provides children and youth with the spiritual, academic and social development necessary to become Christian leaders determined to restore their communities. Its vision is threefold: reach a child, raise a leader and restore the community.
“UrbanPromise reaches about 275 low-income K-eighth grade students children through year-round, connected after-school and summer programs,” said Jimmy McQuilkin, executive director of UrbanPromise Charlotte.
The UrbanPromise out-of-school-time programs are led by about 100 high school leaders from the same communities where they are employed as mentors and counselors for their younger peers.
“It’s important to support the individual development of our youth at every stage, especially as we look to them as future leaders within our community,” said Laura Yates Clark, president and CEO for United Way of Central Carolinas.
The grant from the COVID-19 Response Fund will pay its high school StreetLeaders to lead the June and July summer camps.
“The heart of the StreetLeader Program is challenging teens to use their influence to make positive changes in the lives of children, in their own lives, and in their communities,” McQuilkin said.
Nearly all of the 100 high school students in the StreetLeader Program come from low-income families.
In addition to offering employment, job and leadership training, the StreetLeader Program seeks to support teens in a variety of ways so that they graduate on time, earn college acceptance and matriculate.
“In typical summers, UrbanPromise students achieve about 3.5 months of reading growth during our Summer Camps,” McQuilkin said. “We employ certified reading teachers to implement literacy instruction geared towards combating the summer slide because we know that, during typical times, a lack of learning opportunities outside of school and, in particular, a lack of summer learning opportunities causes up to two-thirds of the achievement gap.”
Typically, UrbanPromise Charlotte programs are hosted at church sites in each of the three neighborhoods it serves. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, all of its programming has moved to virtual platforms in compliance with public health guidelines.
Although virtual programming is unprecedented for UPC, it has been able to keep a high percentage of its students and StreetLeaders connected to the UPC community and participating in programs.
This summer, their summer camps will meet in person, but they will be significantly modified to meet the NCDHHS's health and safety requirements.
As we transition through the COVID-19 crisis, McQuilkin hopes that the Charlotte community sees the teenage StreetLeaders as the community leaders they've always been.
“Too often, people talk about low-income youth as victims of the challenges in their neighborhoods or as part of the problem," he said. “At UrbanPromise, we believe our StreetLeaders are the solution. Their servant leadership, passion, and courage make them ideal role models not only for our campers but for all of us to follow as we strive to make Charlotte a more equitable city."
Mentoring gives youth someone who is going to be there for them and someone they can count on when everything else may be falling apart around them.
A valuable resource in Charlotte for the mentoring community is the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance. The alliance educates mentoring organizations about best practices and mentoring standards, ignites impactful and enduring mentor-mentee relationships and connects Charlotte’s mentoring community.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MAYOR’S MENTORING ALLIANCE.
If you have an inspiring story to share, email Kevin Campbell, WSOC-TV/WAXN-TV/Telemundo Charlotte public affairs manager, at Kevin.Campbell@wsoctv.com.