Venture Field: Education

Year of Venture Launch: 2003

Name: Tiffany

Role in the Venture: Founder and Executive Director

Venture Description: Redemption, Inc. is a community-based non-profit organization serving disadvantaged and underserved youth ages 13-19 within marginalized communities in urban areas. Redemption encourages the educational advancement of youth by promoting intergenerational learning, community involvement, and self-advocacy.

We strive to address the issues pertaining to the youth sector in the community, in hopes of bettering their self-esteem, improving their knowledge and access to educational possibilities, and increasing overall community awareness.

Venture Origin: Redemption was founded by Tiffany A. Tucker, whose personal high school experiences increased her insight and her concern for students in underserved schools and communities. Tiffany shared her thoughts with five other likeminded students whose compassion and understanding helped lay a solid foundation for Redemption.

Innovation: Redemption acts as an education task force, working within a system to help alleviate misunderstandings of higher education and working outside of common practices and policies that control the destiny of our youth. We motivate individuals to love themselves and teach them how to acquire more for the future of their community. We fundraise by word of mouth and through professional networks.

Impact

Impact: Most recently Redemption was the catalyst for advocating for the voice of the community to be recognized by the Dept. of Education in regards to the abrupt phasing-out of the schools in Brooklyn. Since 2003 Redemption has serves over 750 directly though workshops and well over 3,000 indirectly thought the distribution of its pamphlet and its website (which is currently under construction).

Engagement with the community: Collaborated with organizations like Let’s Get Ready, Project Re-Generation, Adelphi University, Sesame Flyers International, Project SHARE, African People Exulted, the Brooklyn Public Library, among 13 others Built a reliable support base of 40 volunteers: 8 core volunteers; 12 board members; and 25 college students and professionals volunteers/mentors Media bringing awareness to our effort

Impact and engagement progress since launch: Redemption began with Tiffany’s desire to giveback to her community, six core volunteers, and a mission statement. Today Redemption has aided in the success of more than 3,000 students from the New York City metropolitan area to attend college, obtain employment, and/or boosts their self-esteems. Of the participants in our one-on-one Mentoring Program, 85% went on to college/70% obtain employment

Impact and engagement strategy: Redemption’s linkage agreements with its partners are in constant development, because our partners want to collaborate and volunteer on more events and workshops. This is great for Redemption’s youth, because they are exposed to young professionals from 1010 Winds News, Cavath LLP, Con Edison, and students from colleges ranging from Kingsborough to Columbia. Our method is to continue building more lucrative relationships.

Awards: Presidential Leadership Award from Adelphi University. Featured in the CaribbeanLife newspaper, Fort Green Courier, & YV’s national newsletter.

Budget

Amount of Youth Venture seed grant: $1,000

Money raised: Fundraise – $10,000 Grants – $2,500 Foundations – $5,500 Corporate – $6,500 In-Kind (human capital) – $500,000 In-Kind (materials goods) – $20,000

Creative ways of raising resources: Redemption follows up with its donors, (at minimum) sending them a card for the holidays, and inviting them to participate in events.

Strategy

Expansion plan for next 6 months: Hopefully, with a grant from State Farm, Redemption plans on starting a youth advocacy group that will organize campaigns concerning youth issues (different from the direct service Redemption currently provides), to create positive progress change

Plans for sustaining the project: Redemption worked with Community Resource Exchange (CRE) to design a strategic program plan, clearly establishes the mission, purpose, and goals of every Redemption program & event. Tiffany volunteers fulltime to secure Redemption’s sustainability & growth working with a consultant to secure funds

Vision for three years from now: Three years from now, we will have a headquarters outside of the schools, have afterschool programs available, and have at least three paid staff: Allowing Redemption to become a strong pillar within the community. Motivating students to graduate high school and assisting more students to enroll in college.We believe that education is the pathway out of poverty and the means to open opportunities

Project impact: Since the start of Redemption in 2003: it has reached over 750 youth; have formed youth empowerment networks; and 85% of the students Redemption mentored have graduated high school, and gone on to achieve at least one other personal goal. Also, having joined forces with the parent coordinators, guidance councilors, college adviser, and principals in the school, the parents are getting involved and making a difference, the culture of the school is changing for the better, and students are motivating themselves as well as their peers. Redemption serves as a positive catalyst that will continue to spark as long as the mission remains the inspiration behind the work. The challenges facing students, staff and the institution it self are constantly growing. Therefore it will be incumbent upon Redemption as a community youth-based organization to give our students the necessary resources to improve their skills. Teaching them how to obtain, retain and use there resources, which we have been doing. Redemption firmly believes in encouraging, supporting, and promoting a positive self-image to the underserved and underprivileged youth of our community. We strive to address the issues pertaining to youth sector in the community; as a result it has improved their self-esteem, enhanced their knowledge and access to educational possibilities, and increased overall community awareness and involvement. The information Redemption provides has been invaluable to our community. The name Redemption comes from Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our mind…” words of wisdom and promise. Students will continue to learn characteristics of identifying themselves in order to enable them to improve their own mental strength and social settings.

Youth Venture movement - what it means and how you can contribute: Redemption is proud to be a member of the Youth Venture movement, we are grateful to YV for its continuous support. Redemption has and will continue to publicize the great name and work of YV. Redemption has had YV table at our annual “Get Your Mind Right” (GYMR) back to school event and has also offered other ventures to display their goods as well. Tiffany has encouraged several applicants to join the YV family, she volunteers on the YV National Youth Council, and she has been involved in numerous selection processes for interviewing prospective ventures. Redemption also stays in contact with the members of the New York office, informing them on up coming events and assisting them with helpful suggestions for YV projects. All of this interaction will continue in the future. Youth Venture can always depend on Redemption, Inc.

Author:
Tiffany
United States
Website: www.redemptionNY.org