About the Program

Mission:

Transformed Teens creates positive powerful achievers. Our mission is to transform average youth into ladies and gentlemen who will make a positive impact in their community, live a life of purpose, and fulfill their dreams.

Vision

Transformed Teens achieves this mission with two programs The Debutante & Esquire Boot Camp and Tau Omega Kappa youth social organization. These program provide participants and parents access to a wealth of information, programs, and services compiled by Transformed Teens partner organizations. These programs will be duplicated all around the Chicago area and become a national initiative.

Purpose

The Debutante & Esquire Boot Camp is an intensive preparatory program designed to help good teens avoid trouble, by engaging them in productive positive activities. Its purpose is to give youth a crash course in the tools and resources needed to succeed as they pass into adulthood while instilling cultural pride and knowledge of black history.

Tau Omega Kappa (TQK) is a youth membership organization focused on strong values, scholarship, and achievement that allows members to continue the work and activities they experienced during the Boot Camp. The purpose of TQK is to provide continued social, cultural, academic, and civic activities to its members that expand their minds and prepare them for life.The principles of the organization Integrity, Unity, Self-Determination, Creative Work & Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, Faith, Achievement, and Scholarship form the foundation for prosperity and success.

Target Group

This program focuses on youth 14-19 years (Rising Sophomores – Rising Seniors) who are average students, but who can be pushed into the good /excellent category with love, guidance, and direction.

Primary Goals

The program will expose participants to the importance of:

• college preparation

• future planning (wealth building, insurance, investing)
  

• etiquette

• grooming

• health

• Social Skills (Dating, Partner Dancing, Conflict Resolution)

At the successful completion of the program, the participants will be presented as Debutantes & Esquires at the Royal Ball.

While the Boot Camp introduces them to a variety of concepts, through out the school year, students will meet 1-2 times a month as members of the social organization (Tau Omega Kappa) to gain a full understanding of each topic and participate in socially and culturally enriching activities like skiing, horseback riding, college tours, community service projects, and personal development seminars & workshops.

Implementation

The Transformed Teens Planning team will partner with community members, organizations and businesses to execute the program. Rather creating new programs and systems, Transformed Teens looks to combine the efforts of pre-existing community organizations into a comprehensive personal development experience.

See our current partners>>

The Case for Action:
The unique contribution of this project/ Community Impact and Benefit

Unlike typical Boot Camps that tend to be geared towards “troubled” teens the DEB is designed to help good, but at-risk, teens who just need some love attention and guidance avoid trouble, by educating them about and exposing them to other ways of being.

In the long-term, this project will propagate across the country with annual Boot Camps transforming teens in mass and providing positive social outlets for TQK members.

As a result of participating in this program, the teens will:

• Have a higher likelihood to receive post-secondary education in fields they are passionate about

• Relate to one another and other people in a civilized respectful manner

• Understand that anything is possible if you are willing to work hard and stay focused

This project will transform the African American community:

• Increased college/post-secondary education attendance and completion

• Fewer rates of teen-pregnancy

• Better parenting skills for current teen and future parents

• Reduction in youth violence

• Increased high school graduation rates

• More positive social interaction between young men and women

• Higher rate of dreaming and planning for the future.

About the Organization

Transformed Teens is an Illinois Non Profit Corporation Fiscally Sponsored by New Life Institute a 501 c 3 organization.  Tax deductible donations must be made to the Fiscal Sponsor.  Give online at www.firstgiving.com/transformedteens08.

Board Members

• Kania Kennedy>>
• Yvette Baburam>>
• Kanika Kennedy
• Tameka Strong
• Cynthia Williams >>