Horizons Leadership Project

Even though the national graduation rates for African-American boys is at a disturbingly low 48%, that is still nearly twice as high as the rate of 24% in NYC. (* From the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys)

• Disproportionate and devastatingly high rates of fatal disease: 40% of black men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease as compared to 21% of white men, and black men are 5 times more likely to die of HIV/AIDS (* From the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys)

• Overexposure to the criminal justice system: Currently, more than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and black men make up nearly 50% of that population. Nationally, 46% of prison inmates and 42% of jail inmates are black, yet blacks are only 12% of the overall population (* From the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys). Horizons is also looking to properly prepare the young people in the program to deal with an issue that will challenge many of them throughout their lives which will be the difficulty of obtaining a quality living wage job.
• The impact of the current economic context on black men and boys is stark. At the beginning of the 1990s economic expansion, the unemployment rate for blacks was 12.7%; by comparison, whites had an unemployment rate of 5.0%. (* From the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys). When looking for solutions to address these and the myriad issues that always confront youth, the founders of Horizons believe that there are six essential areas that need to be addressed in order to provide a young person with the best chance to succeed. They are cognitive, social/emotional, physical, ethnic identity, civic and career development. By helping to increase access to a quality education, while also offering guidance, support and opportunities we hope to provide the young people who participate in our programs with life-long tools that will be essential for self-empowerment and success. To accomplish this, Horizons will rely on its committed staff and partnerships with other agencies to provide high-quality workshops, mentoring programs and then will couple this with exposure to a strong group of positive peers. In order to attract and retain the young people Horizons will offer high quality free athletic and arts programs. These programs will meet the participants were their passions are and strive to use them to teach the participants important life lessons. The founders of Horizons believe that once the young people in the program are fully committed and challenged to raise their expectations that there is a great chance that they will realize the potential that exist in their minds and bodies. To this end, Horizons is committed to promoting academic success and effectively preparing the young people to enter the various career pipelines of interest. The program will also work to increase the awareness and appreciation of the diversity that exists in our city, as that is an essential step in helping them to become valuable members in our society. Horizons will also provide its young people with information and training that will build essential leadership and organizational skills. The leadership of Horizons will use its vast networks in order to bring in resources and support for the program. Horizons will be staffed by a combination of paid staff and volunteers. The program will also regularly bring in topic experts to work with the young people in the program. Horizons is a 501c3 not for profit organization. To this point grassroots efforts have funded the program.