First Love Yourself (F. L. Y.) is a comprehensive program targeting girls aged 14-18 with the mission to engage, empower, and enhance young ladies to reach their goals through positive self identity, the polishing of professional & personal skills, and preparation for future success. The development of F.L.Y. will help young ladies by emphasizing positive images of women. The components of the program include lessons on etiquette, decorum, and dignity, as well as fostering career orientation and a positive perspective on community connections and outreach.
Positive role-models from the local community will be used to bolster positive self-esteem and career orientation for participating young ladies. Research suggesting that conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, desires, and/or self-awareness, serves as a protective function for healthy developmental outcomes for youth. Participants in F.L.Y. will focus on developing self-awareness as well as the development of leadership skills. Exposure to positive character development strategies, local & regional cultural events, and understanding the local conditions that result in risks to healthy development will be emphasized in the program. The general focus of F.L.Y. is to help participants direct their lives in a pathway to success, both in the short term as well as in their long-term futures.
In collaboration with partners from other urban cities, D3’s T-TAP summer program is designed for young men of color with career aspirations in the trades or in technology. Modeled after successful university programs promoting student access to careers in the sciences like MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers), UNC’s MURAP (Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program), and UNC’s SOLAR (Summer of Learning and Research) Programs, T-TAP is an intensive and supportive 10 week on-site program for youth from low-income, urban areas.
By providing the opportunity to learn, practice, and visualize success, young men will lay the foundation of a new pipeline – from their present lives to a future of success and self-sufficiency. Work experience, support from professional mentors, and development of life skills are key foundations for the program. Participating youth will also receive training on financial literacy skills and intensive emotional and social supports. The first cohort of the program will start in Summer 2016 and will feature 10-12 youth from 2 locations.
