Organizations Receive Grant to Benefit SB Students

The Young Visionary Youth Leadership Academy and the Black Voice Foundation have received a major grant that will promote resiliency among African-American students and their families. The $640,000, three-year grant was awarded by the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health with the goal of helping African-American families hardest hit by the struggling economy. The grant will allow for the creation of a 12-week program called Successfully Motivating African Americans in Resiliency Training. San Bernardino City Unified School District students in grades Kindergarten through Eighth and students attending Hardy Brown College Prep will all benefit from educational programs that will encourage them to stay in school, earn a high school diploma, and prepare for college or careers. Students will learn conflict resolution skills, attend health and wellness workshops, and be partnered with a mentor from the local community. The San Bernardino City Unified School District is eager to partner with Young Visionaries and the Black Voice Foundation, said Superintendent Dr. Dale Marsden. “When our local non-profits benefit, so do our students and our entire community,” Marsden said. “The very things these two groups are trying to accomplish through this grant go hand in hand with the work of our Community Engagement Plan.”