“Closing the Scholars Gap”

The Long, Myers, and Williams (LMW) Group, a nfp organization, founded by African

American educators who are concerned regarding the lack of educational and career

opportunities for African American youth announces the start of its South End Global Youth

Scholars Initiative. The Program begins its’ recruiting of student participants November 2023, in

cooperation with the Thornton Fractional High School District 215 as a target location, and other

organizations (libraries, corporations, and community colleges) to cultivate and support essential

educational skills.

LMW Group’s, South End Global Youth Scholars Initiative is a violence prevention and

talent development program. It will focus on addressing academic and psycho-socio needs of at-

risk in-school youths, ages 16-19. The goals of the project are to assist youths with instilling in

themselves employment readiness, avoiding violent interactions, career pathways, increase

postsecondary entry rate, and develop cultural competency skills. These major goals will help

our student participants improve academic performance, confidence, resiliency, personal

responsibility, and increase career pathways.

The structure of the South End Global Youth Scholars Initiative is a violence prevention

and talent development program that will take an integrative approach. It integrates life skills

mentoring, academic support, employment readiness, career exposure, cultural competency, and

postsecondary exposure activities. The organization has been administrating a successful Illinois

Youth Investment Program for the past three years with a budget over $500,000. We were able to

identify and select youths and staff, identify companies and agencies for the work learning

experience segment of the program.

There are large numbers of at-risk youth living in poverty and lacking positive role

models. These youths face obstacles that will prevent them from graduating with the necessary

psycho-socio and academic skills needed to enter the workforce, or postsecondary educational

facilities. The lack of these skills is a recipe that can lead to youths’ participating in anti-social

and violent activities. The academic data of the target area high schools demonstrates low

academic achievement from high school districts on state test scores along with low academic

course grades.

The LMW Group devotes time, resources, and contributes to the creation of programs

and procedures that positively influence High Schools, Historically Black Colleges and

Universities (HBCU’s), higher educational institutions, and community organizations.