STUDENT GLOBAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Growing Thinkers, Problem-Solvers & Leaders
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
A study conducted by the National Science Foundation found that students from underrepresented minority groups, including African American and Latino students, face barriers such as limited access to STEM resources and a lack of role models, leading to lower participation and achievement in STEM fields (source: NSF, 2020). This inequity not only perpetuates social and economic disparities but also hinders the overall progress and innovation of our society. Additionally, there is a pressing need to address the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability. The effects of climate change are already being felt worldwide, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. The United Nations reports that climate change exacerbates poverty, increases food insecurity, and threatens access to clean water and sanitation, particularly in developing countries (source: UN, 2020). However, educational systems often lack comprehensive & effective climate change education.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Encouragement Project (nationally)
Teens submit letters, drawings, poems and short stories. SGAP Leaders vets, then shares with residents of local nursing homes and assisted living centers who have been isolated or negatively affected by the Pandemic. We have received over a1000 submissions for over 500 teens who have earned 20,000 hours of community service. We brokered relationships with 23 different nursing homes.
THINK DESIGN Workshop for Social Entrepreneurs or Social Impact
One-day engaging workshop where youth creatively grapple with wicked problems. Workshop allows students in mixed-school groups of (4-6) to experience the process of design thinking as a tool to resolve human-centered challenges. The process engages students’ creativity and curiosity as they adopt the design mindset, and connects students with an unique method of interpreting problems. Four workshops per academic year. (40 students per session).
Leadership Series
Two-year curriculum which encompasses the THINK DESIGN Workshop & Sustainability Challenge. Curriculum focuses on climate change - energy. Target 9th -10th graders.
Each session weaves in the theme of the 2030 sustainable development goals as defined by the United Nations. Student leaders selected the SGAP theme, develop the objectives, identify the audience and determine how best to convey their message to each group. They also design the day-of-activities and the expected outcome of the student experience. In the process, each student acquires team building skills, leadership skills, and keen presentation skills. Notwithstanding, they also have fun!
Each face to face session includes an interactive component which fosters leadership, team spirit, and community outreach.
SGAP Leaders Speak
SGAP Leaders SPEAK series provides an opportunity and forum for dynamic speakers to share relevant topics with a younger generation. Speakers may be subject matter experts, Alumni or supporters. Topics vary based on interests of the middle and high school students.
Where we work
Awards
Small Business Award - Finalist 2023
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS OWNERS & ENTREPRENEURS
Affiliations & memberships
SOAR Incubator Graduate 2021
Nonprofit Village Incubator 2020
MOCO Black Collective - Amber Fellow Graduate 2023
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUSINESS OWNERS & ENTREPRENEURS (Small Business Award - Finalist) 2023
PRESIDENT'S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD - Certified Organization 2021
YOUTH SERVICE AMERICA (YSA) - Lead Agency 2021
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students showing interest in topics related to STEM
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Leadership Series
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Climate Change Curriculum & Sustainability Challenge is an important primer, sparking interest & building foundational knowledge that allows students to more effectively engage w/ climate change info.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
SGAP Leaders is committed to empowering underserved teens through a range of impactful programs designed to cultivate critical skills, promote STEM education, and foster social justice advocacy. Our programs provide students with opportunities to engage in real- world experiences, develop leadership abilities, and address pressing issues in their communities. Through innovative workshops and partnerships, we inspire and equip young change makers to
create a positive impact in their lives and beyond.
Our goal is to graduate 10,000 teens from our 2 year leadership series program by 2030. In order to do so, we must strengthen and align our curriculum and programs, develop systems to streamline and automate our processes, identify and secure board members with the skills to propel us forward, and secure funding to build capacity.
Goals in year One:
Identify, secure and onboard 3 board members by 2024
Identify, secure $100,000 for capacity building (1 part time employee) by 2024
Improve our Sustainability Challenge program (Picatinny Arsenal case study) - to prepare for earned income strategy implementation by 2024
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Since our inception, SGAP Leaders has always incorporated the SDGs into the fabric of our programming as well as into the values of our organization. For instance, our 4-6 week Climate Clinic and Sustainability Challenge aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (#13, #11, #7 SDG’s); as such, it is designed to engage students in critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration skills, as well as an awareness of global social and sustainability issues. We do the same with our THINK DESIGN for Social Impact program whereby our teens grapple with teen suicide and mental health challenges using design thinking (#3, #10 SDG's). We firmly believe that our teens need to think globally and act locally.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have an extensive breath of volunteers (22) who have dedicated over 6000 hours to develop, beta test and measure the effects of our climate change curriculum. We have strong relationships with higher education and over 80 middle and high schools that have hosted, co-developed programs, or participated in our programs over the years.
Recently we have secured a principal and a bank manager to join our Board of Advisors and Board of Directors. We have developed a strong relationship with the externship programs affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and Paragon One. Our 8 college and high school externs and interns conduct research and help us to develop and execute our programs.
We have employed a recent high school graduate to work with us as our volunteer assistant during his gap-year before college. He is one of 250 members state-wide who are participating in the Service Year Option (the State of Maryland provides his stipend for the year).
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
To date, we have impacted 5,287 teens in 80 different schools. We have created, and beta tested (twice) our climate change curriculum and climate clinics, and we have secured one new board members and one new advisor who fill two of the critical skill-gaps on both of the boards. We completed over $140,000 in grant applications.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
STUDENT GLOBAL AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Board of directorsas of 11/23/2023
Dr. Jill Foster
Anthony Koltenuk
Stephanie Stinson
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/22/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.