Philadelphia, PA, August 24, 2022-

The Change Our Future Foundation announced the launch of Next Man Up; a youth mentorship program designed to eliminate the systematic gap between young males of color and enrichment opportunities. Next Man Up supports the well-rounded gentleman and serves as a catalyst in which young men of color are agents of change and leaders in their communities. Change Our Future has partnered with Parkway NW High School and will pilot the new program starting in October, spanning until the end of the school year. 

“We want these young men of our future to be confident in who they are as black boys, says Rodney McLeod, Co-Founder of Change Our Future. “I want them to understand there are men who look like them willing to help foster success in the classroom, community, and future professional careers. We hope these young men become champions of success, leaders amongst their community and committed to passing the torch to the next generation. These actions help build generational success to change the stigma surrounding the statistics of black men in America.”

Next Man Up supports the well-rounded gentleman and serves as a catalyst in which young men of color are agents of change and leaders in their communities. Through interactive workshops and positive male role models, Next Man Up develops and motivates young men to grab the torch of success for the next generation to follow. Next Man Up will create a community of young men who model integrity, accountability, compassion, and respect.

The impact goals of the program are to  

• Ensure on-time graduation and post-secondary readiness 
• Foster leadership through civic and community engagement 
• Develop self-respect and pursuit of student goals and aspirations
   

Brittany Johnson, Program Manager at Change Our Future, says, “The Next Man Up program will plant seeds of change as young boys empower and uplift one another throughout their experience in the program. Through life changing mentorship and powerful workshops, Next Man Up will pave the way for true community change and develop participants into leaders to change our future.”

For more information about the Next Man Up Program or to become a mentor, click here. For additional information about Change Our Future visit changeourfuture.org. To follow the conversation on social media, use #changeourfuture and #COFnextmanup. For media inquiries click here.