BEtter YOUth – Creating Learning Opportunities for at-risk Youth

“Sometimes, it’s tough to comprehend what really goes on in someone’s life. We can hear about it on the news and read about it, but the truth is that no one can understand the struggles of the black community unless you see it firsthand.”

Those were the words of Gabrielle Williams, one of the Co-Founders of BEtter YOUth, a 2021 Philanthropy Tank Palm Beach County awardee.

We asked Gabrielle a few questions to gauge what she and her co-founder, Olivia Gayle, have accomplished during these past few months.

How did you come up with BEtter YOUth?

BEtter YOUth is a youth-led program that empowers at-risk youth in the juvenile detention system. The name “BEtter YOUth” has capitalized the BE in better and the YOU in youth. The wordplay communicates to students that they should be themselves and not what society dictates of them.

“Our program provides a series of workshops relating to life skills, career learning opportunities, and much more! We focus on the students that are at risk and that have fallen on the wrong path.”

With everything that unfolded during the Black Lives Matter movement, a passion and drive arose in Gabrielle and Olivia to create change. They knew that their change had to start with the youth. “A lot of the bad decisions happen when they’re young. If we can make a positive change at a young age, then those at risk might have the opportunity to do better.”

What progress have you made since being awarded funding?

Gabrielle and Olivia are still in the planning phase. They hope to implement some workshops during the next few months. Their goal is to develop the program to execute without errors.

At the moment, the girls have started conversations with community partners to establish a relationship. A few of those partners are listed below:

• PACE Center for Girls (PBC)
• Juvenile Detention Center (PBC)
• Youth Empowerment Center (Riviera)

We are working with organizations like the PACE Center for Girls in Palm Beach County. We recently met with their Executive Director, April Brownlee. We also have a relationship with Shirlon StAmour, Reform Specialist with the Department of Juvenile Justice, and Marica Bahia, Gang Prevention Coordinator with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. – Gabrielle Williams, 2021 Philanthropy Tank – Palm Beach County Awardee

What topics will your program cover?

The original goal of BEtter YOUth was to help students with financial literacy skills and introduce them to soft and hard skills needed for today’s workforce. After listening to students and their supporters, the girls have expanded their curriculum to include introductions to trades such as barbery, cosmetology, automotive, welding, and much more!

They also expect to introduce workshops about basic life skills, resume building, and college applications. They plan to get their high schools, Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Lakes, involved in the process by having teens teach the courses to other teens.

From the eyes of Philanthropy Tank staff!

Gabrielle and Olivia are go-getters! The girls started with a personal passion during their initial application workshops. After holding conversations with Philanthropy Tank staff and community organizations, the girls went on a fact-finding mission to discover how to address the underlying issues affecting black communities.

From this journey, they concluded that supporting at-risk minority youth was the best way to help them prosper in life.

Corey Murphy, Philanthropy Tank’s Program Director had this to say about the work he’s doing with BEtter YOUth. “At times, it’s difficult for teens to know where they need to start. That’s where Philanthropy Tank staff comes in. We supported Gabrielle and Olivia in their fact-finding mission when creating their program. With BEtter YOUth, we have established a plan to meet every two weeks to discuss the next steps. Our current goal over the next 6 weeks is to figure out the topics they want to cover.”

Corey is working with Olivia and Gabrielle to create realistic and achievable short-term and long-term goals. Corey also mentioned that the girls are making a presentation meant to be shared with potential partners that could come in and talk about their trade. But they don’t plan to stop there. The girls envision having post-workshop opportunities for the children to continue learning about the options presented.

Philanthropy Tank’s role is to be the glue that puts everything together for the students. We help connect students to potential community partners, execute their programs, and teach the programmatic and interpersonal skills necessary for their success. We also help them navigate the emotions that come with such a program. – Corey Murphy, Program Director, Philanthropy Tank

Would you like to support BEtter YOUth?

Are you interested in supporting BEtter YOUth, or do you want to learn more about the program? If so, please get in touch with Corey Murphy at cmurphy@philanthropytank.org.