Category Archives: Investing

LIVE Change Program VUU

by

The Virginia Union University Sydney Lewis School of Business (SLSB) is proud to partner with Youth Corporation, Incorporated to launch “Live Change”, a program designed to educate, mentor, and advocate on behalf of at risk youth in the Richmond Metropolitan Area who are faced with challenges that could potentially prevent them from transitioning from high school into college or other careers that could assist them in becoming a part of the economic fabric of the Richmond Metropolitan Area. The program is designed to prevent the pipeline from high school to incarceration.

“Live Change “is being managed by interns in the Sydney Lewis School of Business under the direction of Dr. Delta R. Bowers.  The founder of Youth Corporation, Incorporated, Ms.  Elizabeth Charity, introduced the idea to the SLSB as an opportunity for the SLSB student interns to manage and run the company from conception to deployment and serve as mentors to the students.  The student interns are engaged with real life experiences inclusive of opening a bank account with Towne Bank, developing the Bylaws, meeting with politicians and community leaders, interviewing with radio and television outlets, public relations and social media campaign, and engaging with law enforcement officials. Ms. Charity, an advocate for juveniles believes that this model of involving college students in the conversation and the advocacy for endangered at risk youth could prove to be a significant change in the landscape to thwart the pipeline for youth from high school to incarceration.  Dr. Delta R. Bowers, who oversees the interns in the SLSB believes that engaging young men and women who are college students in the process of preventing the high school to incarceration pipeline is transformative and could potentially reverse the mass incarceration of youth who have the potential to be significant contributors to societyopening-checking-acc-at-bank radio-broadcast-liz-and-kenneth-3 using-the-arts-to-restore-dignity-and-rights-1 sheriff-woody-2

Advertisement

Celebrating Lisa Kratz Thomas and Empowering our Youth for Success

by

From the Crack House to the State House VCU Social Entrepreneurs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reality Education Television (RETV)  is networking with Youth Outreach Services to present Lisa Kratz Thomas’s story , her  struggles, victories, and transformation.  Lisa is a motivational speaker and an author.  “Lisa has given thousands of people the courage to transform their lives by sharing her own personal experience of recovery from drug addiction, alcohol abuse, prostitution and incarceration. Today, she is a successful entrepreneur, wife, mother and advocate for those who deserve a new beginning.” http://www.lisakratzthomas.com/

Lisa will be interviewed by college students across the state  and outer state about her life’s story. The students major are in law, criminology, sociology, psychology and some have had the opportunity to attend  Youth Outreach Services’ job readiness mentor program’s classes.  They are interns for Youth Corporation, Inc./ Youth Outreach Services and is teaching the job readiness mentor program to youth and young adults who are  challenged by the Social Justice System.

Come and be in the audience as we video tape Lisa’s story. You will have the opportunity to ask questions.  Donations are acceptable. Percentage of Proceeds will go toward opening a Mental Health Services and Drug Abuse Center in Woodbridge, Virginia  to help  education our students for success.  Your presence will make a difference.

We are seeking companies and business sponsorship. For your sponsorship, you will receive a 30 second commercial.   RETV is air on YouTube, Cox , Verizon, and Comcast television. Your commercial will air in the DMV area reaching over 2 million viewers.  The event will take place at Church on the Move (http://onthemove.org/) 13061  Touchstone Circle, Woodbridge, Virginia 22192, on Saturday, June 25, 2016,

Time: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. There will be food, fellowship, music, and praise dancing. Please call Elizabeth Charity at 571-314-7503 with questions or concerns.

Students LIVE Change and Loving It

by

LIVE Change 1There was a buzz in the air as the students met on Saturday, February 13, 2016 in the new addition of Fenwick Library at the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University (GMU) and took ownership of The Student LIVE (Lead, Invent, Venture, Express) Change Program.  It is moving forward in an awesome way. The students have the opportunity to meet with The Office of Senator Jeremy McPike, 29th District, Senate of Virginia, General Assembly Building, Office 317 during the General Assembly session on March 3, 2016 to share their model of “Stop the Education Pipeline to Jail Program,” offering a solution to reduce recidivism in Virginia. Nina Motazedi shared the students’ model in GMU’s Fourth Estate Newspaper article, “New center provides place for Mason students to mentor at-risk youth.”

Daniel Lavelle, is the project leader and doing a fantastic job as he helps design the model. He is obtaining his degree in Psychology at GMU. He is also the single parent of one son, Gabriel Lavelle. Joining him are Samantha Singh, pursuing her Bachelor’s of Integrative Studies with a concentration in Law and Virginia Rose Lowe who is obtaining a degree in Education and doing community services hours for Youth Outreach Services. Her community services hours will help her learn how to run a non-profit organization and how to raise funds for it. Whereas, Kendra Mungra, a junior at GMU and majoring in Business Marketing will learn more about the fundraising side with Youth Corporation, Inc., the for-profit stock holding company and is responsible for helping to raise funds for the project by contacting businesses to become involved with Reality Education Television (RETV). They will become business mentors and help the students create commercials by giving workshops in their field of expertise. The businesses will also appear on the Hall of Fame in the television studio in the newly built facility. Kendra found out about the project by reading the above article in GMU’s Fourth Estate Newspaper.

Live Change 2

The Student LIVE (Lead, Invent, Venture, Express) Change Program  also has the opportunity to go to The Gold Room, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building on March 23 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm to tape the event which will air on Reality Education TV (RETV)  and other local television stations. Click Here for more info on the Mid-Tier Advocacy Inc., Briefing on Capitol Hill. Please email me if you have any questions.

 

When you decide to become a mentor to those who face social injustices and are challenged with the law you help stop the education pipeline to jail and reduce recidivism. Here are some of the responsibilities to help them find hope and to have a better life:

  1. Attend weekly training classes with a student majoring in Psychology (The Mentor Coordinator) and will do an under-study under  Dr. Reston Bell, the Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Dr. Faye Taxman, Professor and Director of George Mason University Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, Department of Criminology, Law and Society  for the weekly training classes.

  2. 3 hours a week (3 hours at one time or 1 hour 3 times a week ) for 5 weeks

  3. Monthly  mentor-coordinator meeting: The Mentor Coordinator has the lead role in managing training sessions, logistics, developing curriculum and training materials, facilitating the session, and processing the training evaluation forms. Session should be conducted by program staff along with outside experts, parents/caretakers, and business mentors currently in the program.

  4. Quarterly required In –service Training Sessions. Once matched, each mentor and mentee must attend at least two in-services training sessions during the course of the year.

  5. Mentor, Mentee and caregiver/parent guardian in-service sessions will be offered quarterly.

  6. Upon completion of training with the Monthly Mentor-Coordinator Meeting, the college students will be assigned to alternative schools, detention centers, youth shelters and other designated organizations in their area.

We are seeking mentors; adults, business owners, and college students.  We need college students who major in music, business, communication, filming and editing.  And we are seeking investors who wants to purchase shares of stock in our company, Youth Corporation, Inc., to help build  the facility  and  help the college students and their mentees to  experience Student LIVE  (Lead, Invent, Venture, Express)  Change.

Please email  elizabeth.charity@yciyos.org for more information.