Before starting Ambition Angels, I was a community-based youth developer for nearly 15 years. The biggest takeaway? It’s critical that I understand the environment where my kids are growing up and the potential threats they face. Then I can best equip them with the necessary tools to successfully navigate their lives now and in the future.
As we started to ideate around the Ambition app, Demetric and I identified two threats to teens to chip away at: first, Black and brown teens face systemic, institutional barriers that limit their opportunities and success. Second, these are the same teens who are spending over eight hours a day on their smartphones, often not attending in-person, after school programs where they would learn life skills, find community, and meet with adult mentors; in fact, only 11% of teens are participating in an afterschool program nationwide. While I think we can all agree that both of these problems are not new, as we enter a new technological era these old problems demand innovative solutions if we hope to move the needle forward.
Consider the broad spectrum of unique challenges that Black and brown teens in America face in 2024. The birth of Ambition Angels was sparked by observing systemic issues affecting teens of color across various aspects of life. Challenges include disparities in access to quality education, healthcare and housing, the impact of the school-to-prison pipeline, and a lack of representation in positions of power and decision-making, to name a few. Unsurprisingly, these issues are deep-rooted and exacerbated by systemic inequities and a lack of support for marginalized communities across the nation.
We are also seeing new threats emerge, heavily influenced by the digital age. We know that social media, while a powerful tool, is contributing to a rise in anxiety and depression, harassment and cyberbullying, sleep issues, and body image distortion among teens. When I was the Dean of Students at a school in East Palo Alto, the things teens would post about each other were alarming, to say the least. And as far as the intersection between teens of color and their internet usage, in 2022 the Pew Research Center reported that Black and Hispanic teens stand out for being online almost always, with 56% reporting constant usage, compared to 37% of White teens.
Despite the challenges, the Positive Youth Development model baked into the Ambition app, in collaboration with other youth developers practicing PYD, provides some hope. By actively meeting teens where we know they’re at – on their smartphones – and equipping them with curriculum inspired by the 5 C’s of Positive Youth Development, we can engage them like never before. Thus, the question "What problems are you noticing that led you to found Ambition Angels?" is more than just a query. It's an invitation for you to be part of the solution to the complex issues of racial equity, access to education and personal development, and the influence of technology. Are you ready to join us in this mission?
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