Programs

Our Philosophy

  • It takes more than giving them a place to go.
  • It has to be personal, in small groups and non-rigid.
  • It’s about teaching and empowering them to make the right choices.
  • The community must be involved and understand our intention.
  • The first step is to become relevant, then significant, and only then can we make an impact.

Who We Serve

  • Higher M-Pact’s core client base consists of 5-15 high-risk urban youth. These youth receive intense mentoring and positive guidance.
  • Secondary clients are the high-risk community and community at large:
    • Higher M-Pact engages the high-risk community to encourage positive influences at home.
    • Higher M-Pact helps the broad community understand the potential of high-risk urban youth and educates them about their opportunities to help.

At Risk vs. High-Risk – The Difference:

Over the years, the term "at-risk" has been a common term that most state agencies and community organizations apply to all less-fortunate youth who are faced with numerous obstacles and are living in disadvantaged communities. At-risk youth can be described as youth who live in urban areas and who are at risk of "becoming" something negative, something antisocial, criminal or violent.

Many urban, youth-oriented entities target urban neighborhoods in their operations focused on community wholeness and well-being. Yet, when it comes to working with high-risk youth, such programs often fall short because of the strategy of addressing a broad spectrum of needs and their focus on at-risk youth that are typically the good youth in a bad neighborhood.

However, some male youth are at more risk than others, and they are described as "high-risk." High-risk youth are not at risk of such behavior; they are already engaged in such behavior. This population does not normally respond to conventional interventions and programs. This is the void Higher M-Pact works to fill.

A Look at the Typical High-Risk Urban Youth:

  • Teenager born out of wedlock, living in a matriarchal household
  • Experiences and witnesses violence, incarceration and death on a frequent basis in their homes and communities
  • Chronically truant from school and often placed on long-term suspension, youth considers school a place to socialize, not learn
  • Day-to-day activities are the focus of life, rather than the future
  • Primary relationships are with peers