Academy 4 Programs
We begin with our hallmark 4th grade program simply called “Academy 4.” Through it, we provide a one-on-one mentor from the community to EVERY 4th grader in the school. Our volunteer mentors serve together once per month on the school campus during regular school hours, becoming a tangible manifestation of community for the students and school staff. We partner with churches, high schools, universities, businesses, and community groups to recruit the large number of volunteer mentors needed for the program. Volunteers learn firsthand the needs of schools, children, and families in their communities. They are empowered to move past mere transactional generosity into a relationship-focused involvement that positively encourages underserved youth and their families. Students walk through a leadership development curriculum with their mentors, in which they learn a new leadership trait each month (Listen, Encourage, Attitude, Develop, Example, Respect, Serve).
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Once graduating from the 4th grade Academy 4 program, 5th graders get the chance to expand and practice the leadership skills they learned the year prior by becoming a mentor to a 1st grader in their school. LEADERS 5 students also participate in leadership lessons and complete two community service projects throughout the year. In the schools where our LEADERS 5 program is present, every 5th grader and 1st grader in the school participates.
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Since 2020, we have had high school juniors and seniors serve as mentors who were once themselves 4th graders in the Academy 4 program. This past year we had 20 of these “Full Circle Scholars” serving from Paschal High School, who went to Daggett or De Zavala elementary as 4th graders. In the spring semester, we awarded five of these seniors our Full Circle Scholarship for higher education or job training.
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Our newest program. 4Families is a tool for Academy 4 church partners to encourage and build Christian community among families in local schools, particularly the under-resourced. We offer workshops that start with parenting and expand to other topics such as financial literacy, leadership, English as a second language, and other topics targeted to the needs of the specific community.