Now, More Than Ever, All Family Must Be Together.

Support the mentors at South Bronx Community guide students through the uncharted waters of a global pandemic and lead them to a brighter future.

South Bronx Community ("SBC") graduated its first class in June. With the backdrop of a global pandemic, and in a community where only 66% of students graduate high school, SBC students persevered. 84% graduated on time and 96% of those students applied and were accepted to college. Through an uncertain time, our staff relationships with students were a critical component of this success.

The pandemic continues to have a devastating effect on the mental health and future prospects of our young people. A Harris poll of teens in May found the following:

• In this stressful climate, 7 in 10 teens have experienced struggles with mental health.
• 55% of teens say they’ve experienced anxiety, 45% excessive stress, and 43% depression.
• 61% of teens said that COVID-19 pandemic has increased their feeling of loneliness

SBC’s Rites of Passage program provides a support network to help our young people navigate these challenges. This mentorship program provides group support to students every week. The image above is from a group mentoring session where young women discussed how they grow stronger through overcoming obstacles.

Funding will provide opportunities for these groups to build relationships-

• $100 will provide COVID-safe mentoring sessions for groups to connect in person
• $75 will help us facilitate group bike rides for exercise and bonding
• $50 will support virtual field trips for students to connect with people and cultures in places around the world
• $25 will allow mentors to send small care packages to show students that we are here to support them during these difficult times.

These opportunities will help students build the connections to help them navigate their future—and you can be a part of it. SBC alumni ambassadors come back to support SBC students and maintain their peer and mentor networks which support them as they continue their post-secondary journey.

As Gil Scott-Heron said, "Now, more than ever, All the family must be together." Please support this effort. Every contribution will make a huge impact on the lives of our South Bronx students!