Mercy Lab Foundation has been a proud partner with an incredible organization—Youth Guidance’s Program called BAM (Becoming a Man) located in the Los Angeles area. BAM was originally launched in Chicago to help young men navigate difficult circumstances that threaten their future. The program founder Anthony Ramirez-Di Vittorio, envisioned creating a safe space for young men to openly express themselves, receive support, and develop the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed. The BAM program is now in its 19th year and serves more than 8,000 youth in 140 different schools all over the country.
Last summer, BAM LA used contributions from Mercy Lab to provide its first Summer Enrichment Program for three weeks and was held at Los Angeles Trade Tech College. Transportation was provided each day and the Youth Specialist engaged 20 students (middle/high school aged) in activities, workshops, and field trips each week. The participants were taught job readiness skills, nutrition and fitness classes, financial literacy, and exposed to career opportunities.
The outcome was incredible! There was 100% attendance and completion! The feedback from the participants was positive and in some cases life changing. Most participants left the program with new life goals after discovering opportunities that they were not aware of before the program. The summer program was so impactful that the plan is to continue offering it with the intent to expand the numbers of participants.
Thank you, BAM LA for all of the hard work that you are doing to positively change the lives of young men particularly from disadvantaged communities.