It was season four of “The Wire” that was dedicated to the plight of inner-city youth in Baltimore and the series’ focal character that season was Michael. He was a thirteen year old boy who was forced to be his own provider, a parent to his elementary aged little brother, and protectorate for his best friend Dukie from the perils of an urban drug subculture. As the story pans out for so many in this predicament, Michael turns to selling drugs to survive. And it is here where David Simon presents the dichotomy of a great number of urban youth. Michael is not alone in this struggle but just one of a whole city of youths who have been neglected and forgotten. Our society eats this stuff up. Inner-city plight is compelling drama and has been in vogue since John Singleton’s early 1990s hit “Boyz N’ the Hood. The media also plays a major role in this grand scheme. All types of government and media outlets are quick and relentless in their dissemination of negativity directed toward urban youth. The spin can be directed in countless ways for a number of different objectives –both good and bad depending on where you stand. It’s far and few between when we hear the success stories regarding kids being positively proactive in their community. You would think it would be newsworthy when Baltimore youth are being productive elements of their environment. You would also think that there would be an overwhelming outpouring of support and aid for a youth-based organization that was making strides for the betterment of their peers and community. Well if the conventional media won’t do it, I will. So without further ado, let me introduce you to a group of young adults in East Baltimore who are making a difference: The Stadium School Youth Dreamers.
In 2001, a group of Middle School kids took an elective Community Action course at the Stadium School (a Middle School located by the old Memorial Stadium site that was designed and directed by the students, parents, teachers, and community leaders) and decided that their neighborhood activism did not have to stop with the completion of the course. Soon after, the Youth Dreamers were founded - made up of a Board of eight youths and eight adults. Their primary concern was the lack of a neighborhood safe haven for kids their age. There was no alternative to hanging out on a corner after school let out and the solution agreed upon was a youth run youth center. The most impressive and ambitious part of this undertaking is that they didn’t ask anyone for a gift. They and their “adult allies” (as their older supporters are fondly called) worked hard to write grant proposals, fundraise, set up their own 501(c)(3) organization, purchase a property, initiate a zoning appeal, and renovate that said property. Simply put, with initiative and grit, they made their goal tangible. Over the past seven years, they have gained support, grants and donations from some powerful allies: Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse Inc., Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Senator Barbara Milkulski, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, State Farm Insurance, actress Jane Kaczmarek, former Baltimore Raven and now New England Patriot Adalius Thomas, T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley and a host of others.
These accomplishments are only half of the story. Their vision has inspired a great deal of adults to take an active role in a community in which they have no direct relationship except for the Youth Dreamers. It is easy for an adult or parent to attend a PTA meeting at their child’s or their own neighborhood’s school. We would normally join our own community’s neighborhood watch or attend a town hall meeting to address concerns about our neighborhood’s infrastructure or trash pick up. But the Youth Dreamers have acquired a number of adult allies and a Board (of which I have become a member) and sold them on their dream in their community. Professors, teachers, lawyers, real estate and financial professionals and many others have donated their time and effort to mentor the Youth Dreamers and help share in their vision. It’s not done for a plaque in a lobby or free positive public relations and marketing for the vast majority of these “allies” work behind the scenes. This was renewing America before it was a political rally cry and maybe shows us a glimpse as to what can be accomplished if we buy into President Obama’s platform and not just categorize it as more political dogma.
This seems like a success story – and it has been for the last 8 years. However, the Youth Dreamers future is still one of uncertainty. Even with all the good work they have done for young people in their neighborhood, the kids and their adult allies are finding it very difficult to find funding for a permanent teacher/director position which would run and coordinate programs. Other factors working against the group is the City’s refusal to fund after school programs and the demand on the School system to cut additional funds. And for me, this is hard to believe that with such an admirable mission and all that they have accomplished that getting a “yes” is a lot harder than one would anticipate. The majority of the funding for the Youth Dreamers budget stems from the annual solicitation of grants and donations. So I’m not telling this story for your applause or sentiment, but rather to inspire you and gain your support. They need help to carry on. We are constantly reminded of the ills of our youth but when do we celebrate their victories and accomplishments. As much as HBO dedicated an entire season to Michael, our local media and other organizations should be going out of their way to recognize and showcase kids like those of the Youth Dreamers. So I guess I feel I’m doing my part now by helping to get the message out. I ask everyone who reads this to go to the website www.youthdreamers.org and see for your self what these kids have accomplished. If you know of any organizations or foundations that are prone to helping community based non-profits, give them a heads up about The Youth Dreamers. As we are all well aware, the government only helps those who recklessly destroy free markets or manage multi-billion dollar companies poorly. With this new political era stressing community involvement, it is up to us Baltimoreans to take care of our own.
These accomplishments are only half of the story. Their vision has inspired a great deal of adults to take an active role in a community in which they have no direct relationship except for the Youth Dreamers. It is easy for an adult or parent to attend a PTA meeting at their child’s or their own neighborhood’s school. We would normally join our own community’s neighborhood watch or attend a town hall meeting to address concerns about our neighborhood’s infrastructure or trash pick up. But the Youth Dreamers have acquired a number of adult allies and a Board (of which I have become a member) and sold them on their dream in their community. Professors, teachers, lawyers, real estate and financial professionals and many others have donated their time and effort to mentor the Youth Dreamers and help share in their vision. It’s not done for a plaque in a lobby or free positive public relations and marketing for the vast majority of these “allies” work behind the scenes. This was renewing America before it was a political rally cry and maybe shows us a glimpse as to what can be accomplished if we buy into President Obama’s platform and not just categorize it as more political dogma.
This seems like a success story – and it has been for the last 8 years. However, the Youth Dreamers future is still one of uncertainty. Even with all the good work they have done for young people in their neighborhood, the kids and their adult allies are finding it very difficult to find funding for a permanent teacher/director position which would run and coordinate programs. Other factors working against the group is the City’s refusal to fund after school programs and the demand on the School system to cut additional funds. And for me, this is hard to believe that with such an admirable mission and all that they have accomplished that getting a “yes” is a lot harder than one would anticipate. The majority of the funding for the Youth Dreamers budget stems from the annual solicitation of grants and donations. So I’m not telling this story for your applause or sentiment, but rather to inspire you and gain your support. They need help to carry on. We are constantly reminded of the ills of our youth but when do we celebrate their victories and accomplishments. As much as HBO dedicated an entire season to Michael, our local media and other organizations should be going out of their way to recognize and showcase kids like those of the Youth Dreamers. So I guess I feel I’m doing my part now by helping to get the message out. I ask everyone who reads this to go to the website www.youthdreamers.org and see for your self what these kids have accomplished. If you know of any organizations or foundations that are prone to helping community based non-profits, give them a heads up about The Youth Dreamers. As we are all well aware, the government only helps those who recklessly destroy free markets or manage multi-billion dollar companies poorly. With this new political era stressing community involvement, it is up to us Baltimoreans to take care of our own.
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