ELEVATE Orlando’s principal objective is to empower at-risk, urban youth in Central Florida to graduate high school and continue on to become successful adults in both their personal and professional lives. The ELEVATE Orlando model is a unique approach that combines full-time Teacher/Mentors who facilitate 3 interdependent program areas for students in 1st through 12th grades, which includes:
1) Instruction in the Public School - ELEVATE Orlando currently employs 13 Teacher/ Mentors who teach daily elective, credited classes at Evans, Oak Ridge, and Jones high schools five days per week. The curriculum is based on 13 character qualities and life skills with over 100 learning objectives. ELEVATE also teaches daily classes at four local middle schools which feed into the high schools we serve, creating a continuous, six-year pipeline, leading to high school graduation. ELEVATE's high school students are also equipped to teach character qualities and life skills to students at "feeder" elementary schools.
2) Mentoring -- Each Teacher/Mentor spends 50+ hours per month mentoring students outside of the classroom through one-on-one bonding, leadership camps, service projects, college tours, and adventure activities. ELEVATE staff make themselves available to students. This consistent presence in the lives of our youth is unique to our approach and directly impacts our effectiveness.
3) Post-Secondary Preparation – ELEVATE’s main focus is to prepare our students for personal advancement after high school graduation by helping them develop a successful plan for the future. 100% of ELEVATE seniors receive one-on-one post-secondary counseling sessions.
