Close Ties
Leadership Program
Close Ties Leadership Program equipped me with universal skills to be successful. Although I now attend school over 200 miles away, I still rely on the skills I learned from Close Ties
- Amari J.
Close Ties Leadership Program equipped me with universal skills to be successful. Although I now attend school over 200 miles away, I still rely on the skills I learned from Close Ties
- Amari J.
Close Ties Leadership Program equipped me with universal skills to be successful. Although I now attend school over 200 miles away, I still rely on the skills I learned from Close Ties
- Amari J.
Close Ties Leadership Program equipped me with universal skills to be successful. Although I now attend school over 300 miles away, I still rely on the skills I learned from Close Ties
- Amari J.
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What We Do
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As a member of Close Ties Leadership Program, I was able to secure $10,000 in college scholarships before entering 9th grade
- Larry W.
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After listening to guest speakers, I was able to identify my passion of being an entrepreneur. I now have my own LLC as a junior in high school.
- Alvin H.
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Close Ties Leadership Program equips Black boys with the skills and experiences necessary to lead in the pathways of their choice by providing early exposure to college and career opportunities, in-school mentorship, and individualized social-emotional support.
Our Philosophy
Our work is rooted in the core belief of Black boys’ inherent genius. The disparity in achievement faced by Black boys is not a reflection of their lack of ability, it is a consequence of their lack of exposure to opportunities. We believe that if they can see it, they can be it. We expose Black boys to opportunities and provide support that activates their inherent genius resulting in limitless possibilities for their futures.
Close Ties Leadership Program believes in Black boys' inherent genius and unlocks their potential through early exposure to college and career opportunities, in-school mentorship, and social-emotional support
Our Mission
Brotherhood
Leadership
Altruism
Chivalry
Knowledge
Our Values
Every Black boy in Atlanta has a broad perspective of possibilities for his future and is equipped with the tools and experiences to lead in the pathway he chooses
Our Vision
Our Model
Close Ties Leadership Program partners with Title I middle schools to select Black boys commonly in the middle 50 percentile, which we refer to as the “Forgotten Fifty,” who do not receive direct programming that is typically provided by schools for the lower 25% and upper 25% of their Black male student populations.
These students form cohorts at each partner middle school that are led by Black male teachers and Close Ties Leadership Program staff and mentored by high school students. We expose these students to college and career opportunities, provide in-school mentorship through goal setting and weekly check-ins, and provide social emotional support through weekly sessions aligned to our research based social-emotional learning curriculum.
We provide this direct programming to boys starting in fifth grade and we continue to serve as a support system as they matriculate through high school.
Competitive Advantage
We implement a preparatory approach which empowers Black boys to lead in the pathways of their choice. Many other organizations have a preventative approach focused on keeping Black boys out of trouble, but they fail to ever prepare Black boys to be successful. Additionally, we use a depth-mentoring model to serve the same boys starting in fifth grade until they graduate high school which provides extensive support producing long-term success. This approach cultivates their leadership and empowers them to actively lead which positively impacts the schools and communities to which they belong.
5th Grade
8th Grade
12th Grade