Since 2010, the Academy's mission is to provide and mobilize services to meet the existing needs of at-risk and underserved youth in the community; contributing to the personal growth of its participants through the development of character-building exercises and tools that promote self-respect, academic excellence and positive social skills and behaviors. We do that by partnering with reputable service organizations focused exclusively on closing the achievement gap; providing programming and mentorship, to support the youth in and out of the classroom to develop their leadership qualities; supporting culturally relevant and responsive programming; engaging in constructive dialogue with leaders within our local community; and advocating on behalf of our children with elected representatives on issues that play a critical role in the life of our youth.