LEAP FOR EDUCATION INC
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Mission Statement
LEAP for Education, Inc. is a non-profit that has a mission to empower underserved youth to achieve social and economic mobility by cultivating personal, educational and career growth.
About This Cause
LEAP stands for Learn, Explore, Aspire and Pursue. All students who walk into LEAP come with their own strengths, interests and values. Some students are self-aware and know what these are when they arrive at LEAP and others have yet to identify them. It is LEAP staff's goal to empower all the students to explore interests, find new ones, and then with this knowledge, create a pathway to post-secondary and career success that leverage their strengths, interests and values. LEAP provides academic enrichment and post-secondary and career services to over 600 youth in grades 6 - 12 so they can learn and explore both in and outside their comfort zones and begin to understand their strengths and interests and create an education and career plan to guide their academics, extracurricular activities and work-based learning experiences. Services are offered in the gateway cities in the Boston area including Lynn, Salem and Peabody. Services for Grade 6-8 Students: LEAP staff provides instruction, supervision and program management for middle school (grades 6 – 8) after-school (summer and school year) programs in Salem and Lynn that, together, serve over 300 youth . Both programs provide enrichment activities that build 21st century skills and develops students into engaged learners. All programs introduce community service and service learning and start to build connections between learning and careers and post-secondary options. As with our teens, programs are imbued with opportunities for students to develop socially and emotionally. The use of project-based learning also builds students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as increases 21st century skills such as perseverance, initiative, communication and collaboration skills. This year, LEAP is offering both a middle school and high school STEM clubs to develop interest among young women and students of color in careers in science, engineering and technology. STEM programs for our middle school students includes robotics, science activities, coding and engineering design challenges. Services for over 250 High School students: The Teen Centers (Salem and Lynn): This program provides the academic preparedness necessary to graduate high school and be college ready and guides students in identifying their strengths, aspirations and interest in college and career. Activities include homework help and tutoring, English language literacy for non-native English speakers, academic enrichment projects (in STEM and the Arts), life-skills workshops, and civic and community engagement. Timeline: September – June – programs are offered 4 days per week from 2:00 PM – 6 PM July and August – summer programs are offered 4 days per week, 4- 6 hours per day. As students become more self-aware, the College Success programs allow the students to make the connections between their strengths and interests and possible career and college pathways. In this way, students develop aspirations and a college and career to pursue. College Success Programs: College Readiness: This program will help 100 high school students and 70 college students in Salem and Peabody with high-quality educational and advisory services that assist them in career exploration and the entire college process from their junior year of high school through college graduation and financial planning throughout. During 11th grade, students identify their interests and passions and begin to explore careers, and connect career interests to post-secondary education. Students also engage in test preparation, college campus visits, academic tutoring, college research, life skills and explore careers through job shadowing. In Senior year youth complete college, financial aid and scholarship applications, culminating in college selection and completion of financial aid and college acceptance. During the application process for college and scholarships, high school seniors with higher GPA’s work one-on-one with their advisors during the weeks leading up to college deadlines to complete the more rigorous college applications. Timeline: September – June, 11th graders meet in a group 3 hours/week; seniors meet as a group and individually an average of 5 hours/week. A select group of students will spend 3 weeks during the summers studying for SAT’s and developing college skills. This program is all day, five days/week. Brothers for Success: This program is led by LEAP with partners Salem State University and the Salem Public Schools. This program is addressing the low high school graduation and college enrollment rates among Salem’s black and Latino male students. A cohort of 20 males will meet with LEAP advisors and Salem State advisors and near-peer Salem State mentors. BFS’s high school seniors will mentor high school freshmen. Timeline: October – June, they will meet in a group weekly for 2 hours each session; 50% of the seniors will also participate in the Salem College Success senior cohort preparing for college. College Advising: Upon graduation from high school students can select to continue in College Success. College students meet individually throughout college with their college advisor who provides assistance in any area that may be presenting a barrier to college completion. This includes academic, financial, health or family issues that arise. Advisors also help students with transfers, major and course selection, internships and career services. Timeline: college students speak with their advisors 1 hour/week through freshman year, once a month through sophomore year and junior year and once a quarter in senior year (this will vary depending on the needs of the student) Services That Cross All Programs: Life Skills, Career Services and Financial Education: Throughout all of our teen and middle school programs, we provide opportunities for students to develop emotionally, and socially and to learn to live as confident and independent adults. This includes financial education (budgeting, credit, financial aid, banking, etc), healthy life choices (nutrition, healthy relationships, substance abuse, pregnancy prevention, anti-smoking, etc) and mental and emotional health (self-awareness, mindfulness, stress management, etc.). Engaged and involved parents are an important ingredient in the success of our students and we make every effort to involve parents in their children's education. Parent Engagement: LEAP offers four (4) parent academies annually serve approximately 300 parents, covering topics of college, academic success, and finances. Career Services: All middle school students begin to see connections in their learning to possible career choices. High School students engage in job shadowing and can elect into the Internship Program (see above). College students get help thinking about summer internships and post-graduation career paths. It also includes other career services such as mock interviews, job shadowing, resume writing, interview skills, speaker panels, career mentors, and jobs. In 2020, LEAP implemented a career mentoring program for 57 youth. This program grew to 70 youth in 2021 and to 113 in 2022. In 2022, LEAP received over 200 applications for this paid work experience. In this program, students get a career mentor from the business or non-profit community who match the student's interest, and together they work on a project while learning about careers in that field.