Our mission is to motivate teens to get into high school, prepare for life graduate college.
Change the Way Teens Perceive Education
Improve Graduation Rates
Improve test scores
Improve SAT scores
We accomplish these goals by delivering programs that change the way inner city teens perceive the high school experience.
Our Beliefs
Every student, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserves to be taught the essential skills that enable success in America.
If taught about the huge payoff, in terms they understand, students will participate in and pursue their education, rather than simply going through the motions.
Practical lessons regarding time management, self-discipline, the impact of decisions, the cost of living well in America, career options and pathways, the habits of successful people and goal setting, are equally as vital as academic courses like biology and algebra.
We believe the Atlanta corporate, foundation and university community enjoy a responsibility to help level the playing field for inner city teens.
What is Needed to Motivate Students to Perform in School?
Build a School Climate that Fosters Academics:
71% of dropout survey respondents said that schools did not do enough to make school interesting.
(Source: The Silent Epidemic, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
Literate Nation will convince teens to accept responsibility for their education through the examples set by elite role models. We will teach them about the real-world payoff of getting into school, making high grades.
Literate Nation's Three Part Strategy
Part 1:
Life-Skills Seminar: Literate Nation staff, partnered with principals and teachers, delivers powerful seminars to audiences of 500 teens. The interactive program teaches teens, using the detailed career path of elite role models as the curriculum. We discuss the role model's childhood challenges, education path, career path and current business. We illustrate the functions that make up role model's company or business (marketing, sales, accounting, finance etc.) and how those functions utilize the math, English, science and history that the students study. We teach the specific behaviors that enabled the role model's success - time management, self-discipline, talk about the cost of living well in America, career options and pathways, the habits of successful people and all the skills that business executives and professionals utilize to advance in the working world.
Part 2:
Role Model Presentations: Following each skill-building seminar, Literate Nation stages a production for 500 students, that introduce powerful new role models into the student's lives - professionals who are living examples of the principles taught in that month's seminar. These new role models include: News Anchors, Journalists, CEOs and other high-ranking business executives, prominent lawyers, successful doctors, creative architects and other leaders who are motivated to teach the skills that inner-city students so desperately need to embrace.
Part 3:
Personal Mentoring Session with a Role Model: Following the presentation students are assembled around tables in the library - Coaches help the students prepare their question or issue for the Role Model. Each student enjoys a one-on-one session with one of that month's role models. The student returns to the table to debrief with other students aided by the coaches.
Who is Volunteering to Share their Story of Success with Inner City Teens?
Literate Nation is grateful to the many world famous authors, sports figures, media executives and business leaders that have already volunteered to help change the perception of these at-risk teens.
They include:
Business: Russell Simmons, Entrepreneur ; Steve Smith, VP Corporate Responsibility, Turner Broadcasting; Lisa Hamilton, President, UPS Foundation; Ron Brown, President, CEO, Atlanta Life Financial; Ingrid Saunders Jones, SVP, Coca-Cola Shaun Rawls, Owner, Keller Williams Realty; Sean Smith, founder and CEO, Coalition America; Bob Kilinski, Owner Three States, Keller Williams Realty; Ron Frieson, former President BellSouth Georgia; Evern Cooper Epps, former President UPS Foundation
Media: T.J. Holmes and Melissa Long, Anchors at CNN; Frank Ski, Radio Host, V103; Greg Fulton, Editor, Atlanta Business Magazine; Ted Hall, News Anchor, WXIA 11-Alive;
Authors: Tim Green, Russell Simmons, Robert Crais, Stuart Woods, Joseph Finder, WEB Griffin, Stephen J. Cannell, Daniel Silva, Shelia P. Moses, Brad Meltzer, Nelson Demille and Nikki Giovanni
University: Dr. Larry Schall, President, Oglethorpe University
Are you interested in becoming a role model for Atlanta's at-risk teens? Please contact us.
Role Models, 2006 - 2007 School Year
Program History
Literate Nation Atlanta worked with Dr. Vicky Ferguson, Principal North Springs High School, Nathifa Williams-Carmichael, 2006 Fulton County Teacher of the Year and Dr. Judy Dennison, Director Curriculum, Fulton County Schools to develop the Role Model for a Day curriculum and presentation format.
Major Presentation Curriculum: Prior to the event 500 students from select classes study a package that details the steps taken, decisions made and the consequences encountered, in a role model's career. After the one-hour presentation and mentoring sessions, teachers conduct discussions with the students focusing on: what they learned about achieving success, how the students can employ these lessons in pursuing their own education.
The first student event occurred September 13, 2006 at Northsprings High School, with Stephen J. Cannell (Rockford Files, A-Team, 21 Jump Street.) telling the story of how he overcame severe Dyslexia to become one of the country's most prolific writers and producers of TV, Film and novels.
Dr. Vicky Ferguson and Student with Banner Announcing Upcoming Stephen J. Cannell Event
Select High School Student Productions:
Nikki Giovanni, Author, Poet, Professor, Activist - Charms 500 Students at Carver High School
Nikki Giovanni surrounded by admiring students at Carver High School
Stephen J. Cannell, Hollywood Producer, Screenwriter, Actor and Author, Inspires 500 Students
Stephen J. Cannell signs autographs for students at Carver High School
11-Alive News Anchor, Ted Hall Tells Students about Pursuing his Dream to be a News Anchor
#1 NYT Bestselling Author, Brad Meltzer, tells about Growing Up Poor, Being the First in his Family to Attend College, Earning his Law Degree from Columbia, Hitting #1 on NYT List
Ron Frieson, President BellSouth Georgia Tells Students about being #3 in His High School Class, To Start Now, Be a Leader, Make the Right Decisions
Nelson Demille, #1 NYT Bestselling Author, Tells The Students to Pursue Their Dreams, That Education is the Key, How He Started Writing at Age 30
Russell Simmons talks to 500 Boys about his Personal "Laws of Success" Explained in his Latest Book
Russell Simmons meets one-on-one with Students from the Audience
Role Model Presentations: Following each skill-building seminar, Literate Nation stages a production for 500 students, that introduce powerful new role models into the student's lives - professionals who are living examples of the principles taught in that month's seminar. These new role models include: News Anchors, Journalists, CEOs and other high-ranking business executives, prominent lawyers, successful doctors, creative architects and other leaders who are motivated to teach the skills that inner-city students so desperately need to embrace.
