October 2011Dear Friends,
Thank you to over 100 supporters who have already helped us raise $110,000. Help us raise an additional $70,000 by October 31, 2011 to reach our goal of $180,000. These funds will allow the Young People’s Project (YPP) to send 300 high school Math Literacy Workers "Back to School" to teach math, leadership and other crucial skils to over 1000 elementary school-aged youth this year.
As the nation debates education and thousands of people are occupying wall street to demand the use of this country's wealth for education, housing, healthcare and jobs, YPP has started its sixteenth year of educational service and advocacy. We want to occupy classrooms and after school programs with Math Literacy Workers committed to supporting young people in achieving academic success.
For 15 years, the Young People's Project (YPP) has worked with more than 15,000 young people who might otherwise have become victims of failed education systems. Today we employ 15 trainers across our national network who train 300 high school and college students to become Math Literacy Workers (MLW) who teach math to over 1,500 elementary and middle school students in out of school settings annually. At least 90% our math literacy workers graduate from high school and 60% enter college. YPP can count several math educators and math majors among its graduates.
YPP is a bulwark against inadequate schools that produce a tide of poorly educated youth whose talents and capacity to fully contribute to their communities is being squandered. In communities where we work the need is great:
· In NYC only 37% of all students were college ready after four years of high school and half of those deemed college ready graduated from only 20 of the 360 schools reporting.
· In New York State, only 13% of Black students and 15% of Hispanic high school graduates were ready for college. (NYTimes, June 15, 2011) Nationally 60% of Black men who don't graduate from high school end up in the prison system.
· In the California State University system 58% of all students who meet college entrance requirements must remediate math and English in their first year of college, and at some schools it is as high as 91%.
Math is a gateway to college readiness and success. The odds of graduating from college increase dramatically for students who go beyond Algebra II. Taking Trigonometry increases the odds of earning a bachelors degree to almost 4:1, Precalculus to 6:1, and Calculus to 8:1. However fewer than 43% of students in the lowest SES quintile attend schools that offer calculus, and only 63% attend schools that offer Trigonometry. YPP's work is a powerful model for improving educational and social outcomes particularly for poor students and students of color.
· 20% of former MLW reported that YPP increased their interest and confidence to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), and 39% reported YPP helped them improve their math grades in school. 83% of former MLW say YPP helped them to develop public speaking abilities and hone their leadership skills.
· YPP is recognized as a leading organization by its peers. In 2005 it received and administered a 5-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop a train-the-trainer program. In 2010 it received a 3-year NSF/ITEST grant to participate in a research project on bridging math and computer programming.
The goal of our "Back to School" campaign is to raise $180,000 by October 31.
We already have the commitment of a long-time supporter to raise $60,000. The YPP Board and staff have committed to raising an additional $60,000 through their networks. We need your support to raise the remaining $60,000 to maintain our current programs and over the next year deepen and expand our work. With your help we will:
· Train 12 additional trainers qualified to train college and high school math literacy workers who in turn run YPP programs on college and high school campuses across the country;
· Expand our "YPP@HamiltonCollege" model to 2 new college sites, and our Brooklyn, New York, "YPP@Boys&GirlsHighSchool" model to 2 additional high school sites;
· Establish a national data collection system to track math literacy workers through college, and to provide evidence for our best practices;
· Expand our donor base and network of support.
Please consider making a contribution on our website: http://www.typp.org/donate.
If you prefer so send a check, payable to
The Young People's Project
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
Sincerely and in appreciation of your on going support,YPP!
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Mailing Address:
The Young People's Project
99 Bishop Allen DriveCambridge, Ma 02139
