BREAKING THE CHAINS
Youth Development Program
Laying Foundations. Building Bridges. Changing Lives.
Breaking The Chains founder, Roberto Allen, knows the plight of an at-risk youth all
too well. Raised in the inner city of Cincinnati, Roberto was able to find his place and
purpose in life with the assistance of key youth development programs, mentors and
friends, Roberto has been able to find his purpose, passion, and place in society. Now
as accomplished author, basketball coach, and former director of an inner-city Boy’s &
Girl’s Club, Breaking The Chains has been established to strategically expose kids to
these necessary assets by meeting them at their genuine points of interests and abilities.
Career Shadowing Program
Entrepreneurship
Cosmetology
Entertainment & Promotion
Law
Engineering
Food Service
Executive Summary
Breaking The Chains is a nonprofit agency providing mentoring and youth development
programs for middle and high school students in the Greater Cincinnati area. The
program will form partnerships with local school districts, juvenile detention centers
and other youth development organizations. Breaking The Chains’ primary objective
can be summarized as “laying foundations, building bridges, and changing lives”
through a comprehensive program that builds confidence, self-esteem, self-respect, and
empowerment to control their own destiny.
Research proves that there are fundamental assets and resources needed for a young
person to develop into a healthy adult prepared to positively contribute to our society.
Traditionally, most of these assets are provided by the stability of a two- parent
household. However, the fact that 70% of African-American children are born into a
single-parent household guarantees that they grow up missing critical assets necessary for
their development. At no fault of their own, a great number of tomorrow’s leaders find
themselves fighting an uphill battle to stability.
And while a healthy, two-parent household is a strong foundation for providing these
assets, there are proven, non-traditional methods of meeting these needs also. Guidance
in decision making, discipline, accountability, recognition of achievements, and
assistance in identifying gifts, talents, career and educational options . These are all areas
that Breaking The Chains is designed to assist at-risk children as they strive for a positive
place in this world.
Breaking The Chains’ will utilize the Fundamental Assets approach to youth
development, creating a program that fosters a commitment to young people that
will promote pro-social friendships, strong interpersonal skills, and reassert a sense
of hope in the future. Only through personal relationships can a sense of individual
responsibility be reestablished that will give youth the commitment to follow through on
path to adulthood with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Through repeated failures in the classroom and the development of destructive habits, at-
risk young people have lost faith in the possibilities that await them if they are successful
in putting their lives together. To accomplish this goal, young people must be in a caring,
inclusive learning environment that promotes their best effort and reinforces personal
respect.
Breaking The Chains is a program that is in direct response to the growing number of
young people that are either falling through the cracks at school or are already entangled
with the juvenile court system. The goal of the program is to identify youths who are
going to have a turbulent transition to adulthood and offer positive support system to
avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives. The focus is slightly different at each level but
the goal remains the same; empower the young person to make positive changes in his/
her life.
As of now, over 60% of Black families are headed by a single parent. In most cases,
the parent missing is the father. This “fatherlessness” in the Black community has
contributed to 16.4% of Black teens having carried a weapon, among 10 to 24
year-olds, homicide is the leading cause of death, and only 8% of young black
men have graduated from college, while they make up over 40% of the prison
population.
Our goal is to fill the void created by absentee fathers by partnering our teens
with positive people, programs, and peers, all geared towards keeping them
focused on their dreams, goals, and decisions, step by step.
1.1 Objectives
Breaking The Chains is being established to influence the decision-making of
teens through exposure to life and career options that lead to positive outcomes.
Through a mix of dynamic programs, positive adult shadowing, educational/
career guidance and training, and leadership development, Breaking The
Chains will strengthen teens mentally, physically, and spiritually. The result
will be a young adult that has the positive self-image necessary to make the
right decisions, the self-awareness necessary to identify potential educational
and career options that fit, and the skills and resources necessary to positively
contribute to society and give back to others.
Here are the core programs offered by Breaking The Chains:
AGES 6-8
Smart Decisions-26 week program focusing on kids understanding how to protect
themselves with their decisions to avoid strangers, choose good friends, and stay
away from drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Additional elements such as water and
fire safety will be integrated into the program as well.
Healthy Habits-26 week program that focus on the fundamentals of taking care
of your body, including fitness, diet, and hygiene. The program will include
kinesthetic learning activities such as exercise, tooth brushing and flossing, etc.
S.H.A.P.E. Up-26 week program is dedicated to students that need assistance
with achieving high academic results. Overall program will emphasize education,
with certain activities limited to students who perform excellent in the classroom
AGES 9-12
Street Smart-26 week program is a follow-up to Smart Decisions, focusing on
kids understanding how to avoid negative people and situations, control their
anger and emotions, resolve conflict in a healthy manner, and an introduction to
entrepreneurship.
S.H.A.P.E. Up-26 week program is dedicated to students that need assistance
with achieving high academic results. Overall program will emphasize education,
with certain activities limited to students who perform excellent in the classroom
C.L.D. (Community Leadership Development)-C.L.D. focuses on creating a
mindset in our students that leadership is about perspective and not position.
Starting as early as 9 years old, we develop challenging initiatives that allow our
students to gain experience in community service and leadership, while having
real life impact in the world in which they live. The C.L.D. will break our students
into small groups where they can learn to work with each other, compete in a
healthy manner, and receive constructive feedback.
AGES 13-15
Passport To Manhood/Live Like A Lady (L^3)-These courses will be gender-
specific, dealing with the critical elements of becoming responsible young adults.
Coursework to include healthy & hygiene, sexuality, dining and professional
etiquette, and personal accountability.
S.H.A.P.E. Up-26 week program is dedicated to students that need assistance
with achieving high academic results. Overall program will emphasize education,
with certain activities limited to students who perform excellent in the classroom
Money Matters-This class will introduce our students to the basics of financial
literacy, including banking, saving, money management, investments, budgeting,
importance of credit, and more. Professionals from the financial sector will be
brought in to assist with the validity of our information.
AGES 16-18
iLead-This program gives our teens the opportunity to lead by example and
provide positive peer pressure and accountability to their peers. Teens will
brainstorm solutions to community and world problems and develop creative
ways to present and implement to the world.
Project KnEx2-This program will give professionals, young and old, the
opportunity to provide “knowledge, experience and exposure” to young people
considering their future education and career options. At the end of the program,
the students will have gained real-life work experience in the selected field and
would be required to complete a job/career analysis to complete their project.