EmpowerU

Through empowerment of our own lives, we allow ourselves the opportunity to more effectively empower others.

We believe that every individual - with extraordinary resources, peers, and appropriate tools - can ignite a passion for positive change of self and others.

Howard Thurman once wrote, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

EmpowerU can be summarized by this powerful quotation. The program is designed to be an aid for children, families, and students (K-college) to explore their passions in order to create a more inspired and passionate life.

Practically, we accomplish this through a peer mentoring system. Mentors and mentees gather in large-group meetings to explore common and developmental themes. These include: "Exploration," "Navigation," "Vision," "Planning," "Resources," "Implementation," and "Showcase."

One of the primary pillars of EmpowerU is that by encouraging the program participants to create an initiative, project, organization, or program based on his or her passions, we can empower these individuals to create a life of passion and to help others in doing so ("paying it forward").

We challenge our participants to truly thrive. Conversations between mentor and mentee facilitate this pillar.

The program varies slightly depending on the age range of participants. For example, in the K-5 population, these students will find much more emphasis on the first half (through "Vision"/"Planning").

Additionally, in conceptualizing the program for a family audience, EmpowerU is largely designed to empower high-poverty regions across the United States. We use the same concepts and "themes" with these audiences.

EmpowerU participants are better equipped to make meaningful societal impact as a result of the program. Education of self is the strongest foundation for helping others.