[Editor’s Note: Here is a partisan report from President Obama’s public relations staff on the state of My Brother’s Keeper.]
Two years have passed since President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Task Force, a coordinated federal effort to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.
In response to the President’s call to action, nearly 250 communities in all 50 states have accepted the President’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge. More than $600 million in private sector and philanthropic grants and in-kind resources and $1 billion in low-interest financing have been committed in alignment with MBK. New federal policy initiatives, grant programs, and guidance are being implemented to ensure that every child has a clear pathway to success from cradle to college and career.
Since MBK’s first anniversary, 50 additional communities have accepted the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge, including those in seven new states, independent private sector support for grants and in-kind resources has more than doubled to $600 million, and 80 percent of the recommendations the MBK Task Force sent to the President two years ago are complete or on track.
Today, the MBK Task Force released its second year report [www.whitehouse.gov/MBKturnstwo] and announced a series of new commitments highlighting continued progress. This report tracks progress achieved in the past year on efforts to make a measurable difference in the lives of young people. These priorities fall into three interdependent priorities articulated by the President: (1) engaging state and local communities; (2) increasing engagement by businesses, philanthropic organizations, and nonprofits; and (3) reviewing and reforming public policy.
Highlights:
Federal Policy Review and Reform
- The MBK School Success Mentor Initiative, a partnership between the Department of education and Johns Hopkins University, will pair 250,000 6th and 9th graders with trained mentors in 30 communities that accepted the MBK Community Challenge. At full scale, when operating in grades K-12 across districts, the model aims to reach one million students within the next three years.
- Seventy National Labs in 20 states opened their facilities to 3,500 youth from nearby neighborhoods, including MBK Community Challenge acceptors, for the inaugural MBK & Council on Women and Girls National Week at the Labs.
As part of the Administration’s Summer Opportunity Project, in February DOL launched a new $20 million grant competition that will be awarded to 10 communities for innovative approaches that provide young people with summer and year-round jobs and connect them to career pathways. CNCS has committed $15 million in existing Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards over the next three years to launch Summer Opportunity AmeriCorps that will enable up to 20,000 youth to gain new skills and earn money for college. - Last July, ED and DOJ announced the “Second Chance Pell” pilot program that will enable incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants to finance the postsecondary education and training that may be instrumental in securing employment, stability, and self-sufficiency.
Place-Based State and Local Engagement
- New York state – In April, with a $20 million budget measure, New York became the first state to fund its own statewide program inspired by the federal My Brother’s Keeper initiative.
- Boston – the “Mayor’s Mentoring Movement” has reached 90 percent of its goal to recruit 1,000 new mentors.
- Philadelphia – 10,000 teens and young adults were hired for jobs and internships as part of the 2015 Summer Jobs Challenge.
- Compton – the “Compton Empowered” Gang Violence intervention program resulted in a decrease in homicides of nearly 50 percent from 2014 to 2015.
- Detroit – City leaders have outlined a plan over the next five years to employ 5,000 additional men of color in high growth industries and enroll 90 percent of four-year-olds in preschool.
- 40 school districts across the country have committed to reforming discipline policies. Miami-Dade School District announced it will eliminate out-of-school suspensions beginning this school year.
Private Sector Action
- During the White House Science Fair, 100 organizations announced commitments to expand opportunity for students, including $50 million in “MBK STEM + Entrepreneurship” commitments.
- Opportunity Finance Network has invested more than $470 million in financing for deals impacting youth of color.
Equal Opportunity Schools’ “Lead Higher” has invested $30 million towards it $100 million commitment to identify and enroll 100,000 low-income students and students of color in AP and IB courses. - Foundations have invested $100 million towards their $200 million commitment.
- Last May, a group of private sector leaders joined together to launch the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, a nonprofit that supports boys and young men of color. The founding Board of Directors collectively committed $80 million in in-kind and financial donations to support the organization’s mission.
MBK continues to inspire a movement by officials seeking to ensure that all youth know they matter and have every opportunity to achieve their dreams.
