Imani Dance Academy Non Profit Inc

Imani Dance Academy Nonprofit Inc is an organization whose mission is to build, motivate, and inspire the youth of New Orleans to be the leaders and culture bearers of tomorrow. We provide mentoring and motion therapy programs for elementary, middle and high school students in the Greater New Orleans area. The program fosters a commitment to young ladies that promotes prosocial friendships, strong interpersonal skills, body and mind awareness and reasserts a sense of hope in the future. Only thr

EYE Am (Enhancing Youth Empowerment and Mentoring) is a summer program that will provide academic enrichment, entrepreneurship, leadership skills and cheer or majorette training for youth ages 6 - 18, primarily located in Eastern New Orleans. Our Goal is to improve the opportunity for success in our youth by:

- Building a safe and stable foundation for youth that bridges the gap between in-school and out-of-school time

- Developing tangible skills in youth that will forge a path of leadership, self identity, trust and success beyond the classroom

- Building social, cognitive, emotional and behavioral competence

- Providing mental health services and forming lifetime relationships to ensure our youth always feel supported and have a safe place to return

- Empowering youth to reach their full potential through activities that will drive a sense of responsibility and ownership in their community

- Equipping their parents with the tools necessary to raise youth in today's society

EYE Am's focus is to reach the youth before they make decisions that will result in long term negative impacts. We plan to approach our goal through improving their relationships at home, school and in their community. However, first we must work to improve their sense of self and teach them ways of coping with life's many challenges. We will teach them how to develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) goals, tangible skills and cognitive skills while building a safe and stable environment for them to learn and grow.

Most youth who become juvenile delinquents lack the guidance and values that are instilled at home. These youth often begin acting out in school, eventually dropping out of school and turn to criminal activity to find a sense of comfort and belonging. Our program is designed to address these foundational gaps through activities for the youth and their parents. New Orleans East lack programs in the community that are focused on the long term success of our youth and we would like to be part of the change that is needed in this community.

Our educational objectives will help bridge the gap between school & youth and build a passion for learning and excelling to drive a decrease in dropout rates. We will work to build their self confidence and self esteem through:
- training them to become entrepreneurs
- providing the foundation & skills they need for long term success, and
- providing mentoring opportunities upon graduating the program

We will strive to build their sense of worth and usefulness by building skills that can be utilized for a lifetime.