The Brotherhood Pitchbook Outline

“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate

concern of dedicated individuals.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Organization Overview

The Brotherhood is an organization of strong, black males determined to spread their message of success to other young men throughout the state of Colorado. The name Brotherhood represents the group’s mission to develop powerful leaders who live with character and strive for success in education and in life.

“He had the dream; we are the dream

We are… leading by example

We are… achieving success

We are… making others take notice

We are… lifting others up

We are… one

We are… proud

We are… the future

We are… the dream”

While The Brotherhood develops respect and encourages the embracement of other cultural groups, we recognize that there are sets of issues and challenges that are unique to African American society and require trust and transparency to overcome. For this reason the majority of our members are Black youth within the community.

Just as members learn to appreciate the diversity of the American society, an appreciation and understanding of the diversity within the Black community is one of the key factors in overcoming the challenges these youth face. Everyone is valued at The Brotherhood; scholars and non-scholars, athletes, musicians, introverts, extroverts, and rich or poor. We embrace the beautiful varieties of skin tone within the Black community and welcome Blacks from every region; African to Caribbean origin.

We do not desire to separate ourselves from the world; we simply desire to work intensely and effectively to eradicate the gaps. We believe our model is effective in achieving our goals and we have a consistent record of improved grades, improved demeanour and improved rates of young men pursuing post-secondary education.

The challenges for Black America are great. However, we aim to spread the mission The Brotherhood and with success these statistics will change. We are excited and hopeful for the future.

Our Chapters

The Brotherhood has several different chapters operating throughout the Denver and Aurora Public School districts, serving participants though afterschool study sessions. Each chapter tailors its outreach towards the needs of the individual members in attendance and offers comprehensive support within that community.

(Outline individual chapters and services here)

Youth Served

(Outline actual numbers here… ie: number in attendance of each chapter, ages/grades of participants and average socioeconomic status of each chapter, graduation rate of each chapter, percentage of participants with an incarcerated parent, percentage of participants with history of family drug use)

Barriers to Success

Today’s youth face numerous barriers to success and Black youth in particular have challenges unique to their community. Generational issues such as incarceration, drug abuse, alcoholism and the trials specific to single parent homes can create barriers to success. The Brotherhood’s mission is to provide support to the youth facing these concerns, giving them building blocks to pave the road to success.

(Outline self-reported barriers here. Will require a survey of participants)

Programs and Services

(As recommended in the strategic plan)

Sex awarenesso Make condoms available to participantso Participate in a STD awareness activityo Participate in parental awareness activityo Create an open forum for LGBT participants to find support

College readinesso Attend seminars speaking to college readinesso Tour local college campuses to inspire and motivate participantso Offer SAT and ACT prep during study sessionso Seek out college student tutors who can offer college level assistance and guidance to

participants Job readiness

o Create handout outlining the job hunt processo Lecture on filling out applications and paper work needed (social security card/ID card)o Provide mock interview session o Dress for success session o Seek out donations of professional wear appropriate for student job seekers o Attend a life skills/budgeting seminar

Our Community Partners

(As recommended in the strategic plan)

Urban Peak- Youth experiencing homelessness

Denver Area Youth Services (DAYS)- home-based family therapy services, foster care, parenting

education, outpatient substance abuse treatment, community supervision, case management, and

mental health services

Mile High Youth Corps- give youth ages 16 to 24 a chance to earn an income and learn hands-on job

skills while serving in their communities

Denver Urban Gardens- students experience hands-on lessons in: biology and ecology, horticulture,

wellness and nutrition, recycling, composting, and community building

Arts-streets.org- opportunities provided are designed to nurture and inspire the education of these

youth, cultivating them to become tomorrow’s professionals and use their creativity to support the

workforce needs

Goodwill Industries of Denver- youth outreach program; provide through our high school job

training initiativesLiquid House- we strive to build unity within the teen community through music, dance, film, skate and

photography

Community outreacho Coordinate student volunteers for outreach in various community programs:

Soup kitchens Nursing homes Community cleanup Urban gardens

Celebration of Youth in Program

It is the suggestion to seek out an outstanding participant within The Brotherhood highlighting their achievements and aspirations emphasizing the role that The Brotherhood has played in their success.

A great example of this comes from Urban Peak; an organization committed to the support of youth experiencing homelessness in Denver.

(Insert example here)

Celebration of a Mentor

It is also the suggestion to highlight a noteworthy mentor or volunteer in the organization. Someone who shows constant dedication and an innovative approach to the advocacy of the members of The Brotherhood.

(Insert example here)