At the Alliance, we envision a new generation of skilled, educated Black professionals taking leadership in their communities and careers. We believe that civic engagement is a life-long endeavor. Our programs bring different generations together to work toward a better tomorrow for our urban Black communities. Our starting point is to instill a strong sense of community and self in urban minority youth. To this end, our people are our best resource, and we cultivate that resource through our many programs. Our strategies encompass several generations of Black people working for their communities:

Mentoring is at the heart of what we do. We connect young people with positive role models who inspire, guide, and support them. Through NBCA, mentors and youth become part of a movement working toward a better quality of life for all of us. Programs include

• mentoring and tutoring high school students
• hosting college visits and tours
• introducing high school students to HBCUs
• offering workshops on essay writing, interviewing skills, test prep, and applying to colleges
  
  

Volunteering is a way to be engaged with our communities. We volunteer our time, our energy, and our skills to make our communities better places to live. Volunteering develops civic and community leadership in the next generation of urban leaders. Activities include

• organizing walks
• neighborhood cleanups
• charity events
• volunteering with the local United Way
• volunteering for short term service through the workplace
• volunteering at a hospice, soup kitchen or shelter
  
  

Participating in civic life is how we make our communities strong. Realizing that foundations and corporations can only do so much, NBCA supports philanthropic giving circles to support institutions working to improve our communities. We also hold leadership development workshops, educational forums, voter registration drives and more to facilitate participation in civic life. Through activities such as these, we build bridges, create networks, and support active engagement in our communities:

• organizing, hosting, sponsoring or co-sponsoring educational forums, voter education forums, candidate forums, conferences, or book clubs
• hosting, co-sponsoring, participating in and/or taking a leadership role in networking events, charity and community events, and/or citywide initiatives
• participating in political and issue campaigns as a volunteer or candidate
  
  

MVP is how we bring people and organizations together to work toward greater opportunities for urban minority youth and to create the next generation of urban civic leaders. Ours is a community-wide endeavor; and our strategies must engage communities as a whole.