ABOUT V3P

With a multitude of negative influences being displayed by African-American entertainers, many African-American youth feel that the best way for them to obtain success is to imitate and emulate who and what they are exposed to on a daily basis through television, radio and the Internet. African-American youth have a true need for perpetual positive influences to be produced and displayed in their communities across America, starting here in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. To accomplish this goal, African-American youth must be in a caring and conducive learning environment that promotes their best efforts to increase self-knowledge and self-worth, which will ultimately lead to a higher self-image.

Over time, V3P will create a learning environment that will be an invaluable resource to African-American youth, inspiring African-American role models and the African-American community in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area.  We know that V3P will be a strong foundation that will ignite a spark of hope, confidence and worth into a nation of people across America.

We hope to engage our students with plans of informing them of the importance of valuing their health. According to JAMA Pediatrics, between 1999-2012, African-American youths between the ages of 2-19 accounted for 20% of childhood obesity statistics within the United States. Physical fitness can not only help to reduce childhood obesity, but regular exercise has been attributed to helping to reduce mental stress, and other psychological disorders amongst children. Under the Vitality portion of our program, V3P will also address; illegal drug use, alcohol, sexual education, etc. If our children can avoid the common pitfalls that have caused many deleterious effects to the African-American community, we fully believe the benefits will be absolutely phenomenal.

The importance of education has been overlooked for far too long, within African-American communities. We hope to challenge and encourage African-American youths to pursue education relentlessly, and see the many benefits that will arise from stretching their young minds. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2014 only 19.7% of African-Americans over the age of 25, held a Bachelors degree. When the talks of wealth and education come into play, the value of the two become synonymous. Under the Education portion of our program, we will also address: Tutoring, mandatory study groups, college preparation courses, etc. There was once a time when African-Americans were denied access to a quality education, and although the opportunities still aren’t equally distributed within the United States, the decision to pursue it is more vital than ever.

According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2015 only 4.2% of African-American owned businesses had employees. Many African-American communities lack employment opportunities for its citizens, and that causes great concern. In 2012, African-American unemployment was at a dismal 14.4%. With African-American owned businesses, the wealth gap and unemployment statistics can be substantially reduced within the African-American communities across the country. Under our Entrepreneurship portion of our program, we will also focus on: Financial literacy, managing credit, writing business plans, etc. Establishing sound money and credit managing techniques, in addition to cultivating business plans while grooming African-American youths to become business owners, African-American communities can grow to break many of the generational curses of poverty that have limited the communities’ growth.

The ability to show service to one’s community is truly invaluable. We want to encourage African-American youths to place value in taking care of the habitat of their community, and the people of their community. The ability to establish a sense of service within our youths, can help to lead to the establishing of a proper value system within them as well. We have a strong desire to motivate many African-Americans youths to place more value in taking care of their communities, more than they may value the materials things in life. Community service participation will be requirement for all of the African-American students to validate our program. Under the Community portion of our program, we will focus on: volunteering at homeless shelters, community restoration projects, hosting food and backpack drives, etc. The great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” And our youths will serve until it becomes a part of their very being.

– “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” Powerful words spoken by the great Marcus Garvey. There are many great accomplishments that lie in the remarkable history of African-Americans, and it is important that African-American youths learn of it, to serve as a lesson to remind them of how great they can become. We intend on teaching the youths of the many great inventors, leaders, and activists who fought to cement their place in American and world history, and to pave the way for African-Americans today. Under the History portion of our program, we will also discuss: historical events, innovative inventions, scholarly accomplishments, etc. African-American history has also been proven to be useful in strengthening the psychological resiliency amongst African-American youths.