All Stars Project (ASP) and ICA Cristo Rey Academy of San Francisco Create Strategic Partnership to Support Underserved Youth
SAN FRANCISCO, May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The All Stars Project, Inc. (ASP) and ICA Cristo Rey Academy of San Francisco, CA (ICA Cristo Rey) today announced a new strategic partnership to advance workforce development and educational outcomes. ASP is a national, privately-funded nonprofit organization providing award-winning free afterschool development programs for youth in poor and underserved communities. ICA Cristo Rey is a vibrant college preparatory school that transforms girls from underserved communities into confident young women empowered to realize their full potential.
Over the last year, ICA Cristo Rey and ASP have collaborated to empower youth through performance experiences, to build confidence, try new roles and create new opportunities for their future in college or the workforce. By establishing a formal strategic partnership both organizations will amplify their impact and realize shared goals.
"ICA Cristo Rey is proud to partner with ASP on new kinds of developmental programming driven by our shared mission to give high school aged youth from underserved communities opportunities to grow in ways that empower them to be leaders in their lives and community," said Dr. Karen Kenkel, President, ICA Cristo Rey.
Through decades of working with youth in high poverty urban areas and in partnership with researchers from Southern Methodist University's Center on Research and Evaluation, ASP has identified and validated eight Dimensions of Development that, when strengthened, help youth to develop – to learn new things, build relationships with people and collaborate. "I am thrilled to have played a role in connecting these like-minded organizations. We need to find greater synergy in the Bay Area between high-performing groups, so they can share resources, and best practices and dramatically increase impact though each organization's strength." said Mark Bley, CEO of Dome Construction Foundation in San Francisco, CA and ASP of San Francisco Bay Area Board Member.
ICA Cristo Rey's synergy with ASP's performance-based approach to development was experienced first-hand through workshops led by ASP with ICA Cristo Rey high school students. These workshops included networking sessions hosted at Dome Construction, public speaking and interpersonal skills and a full orientation session focused on team and relationship building. "All Stars is proud to partner with ICA Cristo Rey and participate in an increasingly more progressive student-owned learning environment. The All Stars Project's award-winning 'development through performance' approach includes a powerful set of tools and capabilities for the young women of ICA Cristo Rey. We can't wait to support ICA Cristo Rey's students with these 21st century learning skills so they can see themselves as creators of their own success through strengthening interpersonal and professional performance skills." said Shadae McDaniel, Vice President, Director of Strategic Initiatives, ASP.
ASP President and Incoming CEO, Chris Street said, "It is exciting to create a new kind of school-community collaboration which has profound national implications. We salute the innovation mindset of ICA's leadership and we believe the Bay Area corporate community will be a vital partner in this experiment to create new scalable solutions for the education to workforce ecosystem. The formalization of this partnership is a natural outgrowth of our existing collaboration, and is the next step in this important journey of discovery."
About The All Stars Project:
The All Stars Project is a privately funded national nonprofit organization with a 40-year history of grassroots organizing and community building in poor neighborhoods. Its mission is to transform the lives of youth and poor communities using the developmental power of performance in partnership with caring adults, giving everyone the opportunity to grow. ASP's award-winning programs bring people from all racial, economic and social walks of life together to create something positive, new and transformative for all involved. ASP operates nationally in New York City; Newark and Jersey City, NJ; Chicago, Dallas; and the San Francisco Bay Area with volunteers and partnerships in over 20 states.
About ICA Cristo Rey Academy:
ICA Cristo Rey Academy is a vibrant college preparatory high school that champions young women from underserved communities as they build confidence and become empowered to realize their full potential. We deliver a career-focused college preparatory education, integrating a rigorous academic curriculum with four years of professional work experience and support to and through college. ICA Cristo Rey has a 140-year history in San Francisco's Mission District and a dedicated network of educators and corporate mentors who deliver this unique learning experience, incorporating the Sisters of Mission San Jose's Dominican Catholic traditions as we prepare students for lives of faith, purpose, and service.
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SOURCE All Stars Project
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