The VanCollins Group [VCG] is a nonprofit organization that provides targeted and collaborative early intervention to combat academic disengagement of Black boys in the public education system. VCG fosters a commitment to Black boys that will encourage competence, promote confidence, foster connection, build character, and cultivate compassion. The VanCollins Group exists in direct response to the
growing number of Black boys who: (1) do not have access to resources and support systems that actively and regularly engage them in positive, practical, and culturally relevant endeavors to exercise their critical thinking and reasoning skills; (2) are subjected to discriminatory disciplinary practices that lead to school suspension / expulsion and subsequent entanglement with the juvenile justice system; and, (3) glorify 'fame' over 'success' because society is telling them to be successful but not educating them on what that “success” actually entails. The VanCollins Group’s goal is to (1) engage Black boys in purposeful critical thinking, reasoning & questioning activities, (2) encourage Black boys to embrace knowledge and become active learners, and (3) empower Black boys to unlock their potential by assisting them in developing individualized blueprints for success; goals accomplished through Inner Circle programs, the My Path, My Way curriculum, Life Lessons education advocacy workshops and the Revealing EduHate Public Policy Center.
