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POWER 4 Youth

POWER 4 Youth educates youth and builds a stronger community through one-on-one academic mentoring to at-risk teens in the Long Beach, California areas. The mission of POWER 4 Youth is to assist middle and high school youth through providing academic support, encouraging academic achievement, and connecting with caring adults who serve as mentors.  Pairing adult volunteers with teens from at-risk neighborhoods throughout the community, POWER 4 Youth focuses upon academic achievement and self-development.  The program is available to all students.

History

POWER 4 Youth began providing tutor/mentoring in the fall of 1999.  However, its history goes back to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.  Shortly after the riots, eight Long Beach area Presbyterian Ministers got together to ponder how such a thing as the riots could happen.  They not only wondered why, but also mused about what they could have done to prevent such an event.  What could they do now to prevent further violence and desperation?  They became especially focused on the need to reach young people before things get so out of hand.  The Pastors realized they had a real heart for reaching kids before trouble started.

From these discussions, two small programs were born.  At one church, a program reached out to the community’s African-American youth.  Another church lent assistance to Cambodian young people.  The focus was to reach the kids “on the edge,” not teenagers already in trouble, but youth whose lives could go in any direction, depending upon the influences the kids experienced.

As time would have it, one church closed.  In its closing, the church sold their property, using the proceeds to create an investment fund with the purpose of continuing this vision of serving Long Beach youth.  The leaders of the church did not want to see the vision die, and wished to leave a hopeful and positive legacy in an otherwise painful situation.

With the influx of long-term funding, and with growing awareness of the great numbers of youth needing basic guidance and tutoring, POWER 4 Youth was created.  Beginning with six pairs meeting on Thursday evenings at Covenant Presbyterian Church in downtown Long Beach, the program quickly grew to become one of the largest mentoring programs in the Long Beach area. Today, dozens of youth meet with their mentors each week at four locations across Long Beach and Lakewood.

This growth led the Presbytery and the Board of Directors to realize it is time for POWER 4 Youth to continue as its own stand-alone 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. POWER 4 Youth was awarded its non-profit standing on October 23, 2008.

Today, POWER 4 Youth continues to grow, matching at-risk middle school youth with mentors to impact their lives for years to come.