UrbanPromise Los Angeles (UPLA) is a nonprofit organization founded by husband-and-wife Dionté and Meg Grey in 2019. UPLA provides free after school and summer camp programs to elementary and middle school students from lower-income households. Students in Canoga Park receive academic tutoring, support with reading and literacy, participate in arts and crafts, Bible (optional), STEM, and recreational activities at the UPLA facility located at the River of the Valley Church.
UrbanPromise is an international entity with independently run facilities operating under their business model. The Grey family moved to Los Angeles from North Carolina to pursue their passions with more than ten years of experience working with hundreds of students. They are committed to restoring, sustaining, and stabilizing communities through the next generation. With their grassroots approach to recruitment, the organization hosts pop up events at the facility and local high schools to increase outreach and participation.
Related Links:
Planning Financially for College – Los Angeles Sentinel (lasentinel.net)
New Grant Awards to Reach Over 30,000 Youth Annually – Los Angeles Sentinel (lasentinel.net)
The Power of a Role Model – UrbanPromise Los Angeles (youtube.com)
In recent interview with the L.A. Sentinel, Dionté Grey shared his personal journey and what led him and his family to the San Fernado Valley to motivate and encourage young people. When asked about his upbringing, Grey said, “there were plenty of challenges but there was also a silver lining of hope, because I had opportunities with my education, in combination with my faith in God, and a supportive community, I could endure and overcome certain experiences.”
After establishing community presence, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the program slightly. The team adapted and extended their services online. UPLA developed the CommunitySchool Initiative that allowed students a safe and supervised learning environment to engage in distance learning. Close to 40 students attended school via distance learning at UPLA’s Community School during the 2020-2021 school year.
At UPLA local high school teens are placed in positions of leadership where they serve as paid after-school tutors, summer camp counselors, role models, and mentors for the younger students. The teens supervise the afterschool program as StreetLeaders. They receive academic support, spiritual guidance, and hands-on support with college applications.
Towards the end of the school year UPLA hosts “Senior Signing Day” for the graduating class, like the NBA Draft, students along with their family and friends announce their college acceptances and where they have committed.
Their vision to reach a child, raise a leader, and restore community, is fulfilled through their free after school program, summer camp, youth employment, and the alumni support program that offers continued mentorship after graduation to help navigate higher education for the first-generation college students. Over 200 students have participated in these programs and UPLA has helped 100% of them achieve college acceptance. UPLA has created nearly 60 part-time jobs and has invested over one million dollars into the community.
To keep the students engaged and focused, UPLA uses the acronym “S.H.A.R.P” to teach the importance of being self-aware, humble, appreciative, respectful, and persistent. While discussing S.H.A.R.P. with a big smile, Grey offered “you got to be sharp! We implemented the acronym while we were in Charlotte and that’s our character, the attributes what we want the kids to embody. Knowing what their thinking and feeling is important, we want them to be humble because that’s a life lesson following high school, being appreciative teaches them to show gratitude for things they have and the people in their lives, respecting yourself, others, and the property is important, finally persistence means we try again. Some students struggle with words, reading, and math, but it’s all good we help them try again.”
The UPLA space is inviting, uplifting, and supportive. There’s a two-person basketball hoop with a reading area and library beside it. Visitors can enjoy portraits that showcase some of UPLA’s group activities and many accomplishments. Their “Shout Outs” door is perfect for morale and inspires everyone to post a note of appreciation.
In the next 15 years UPLA intends to expand their centers to other communities and continue to offer support to families. To learn more about UrbanPromise, view their upcoming events, and how to get involved, visit DONATE — URBANPROMISE LOS ANGELES.
