Access Youth Academy

Founded in 2006, Access Youth Academy is an after-school life-skill and academic enrichment program for low-income San Diego youth aged 10-24+ designed to foster equal access to higher education, healthy lifestyle habits, and post-college graduation employment.

We believe every child should have equal access to achieve their full potential.

Goals: 1. Provide sufficient guidance, support, and access to opportunities to San Diego and Los Angeles low-income youth necessary for them to break the cycle of poverty and find success. 2. Create a culture of healthy lifestyles and regular exercise 3. Improve student attitudes and beliefs about self, others, and school.

Specific critical needs to be addressed by Access Youth Academy programs include:
1. The persistent achievement gaps across income levels and ethnic groups
2. Significant social & emotional needs of low-income students brought on by prolonged psycho-social & economic stress
3. Lack of college attainment and success among low-income students

One of the most unique attributes of Access Youth Academy’s afterschool program is the 14-year promise we make to each of our students.

The 14-year Promise is divided into three phases, which align with the needs of students as they progress toward academic and career success:

Phase 1 – Grades 5-12 Each student receives:
• Over 460 hours per year of academic support: tutoring, mentoring, test prep, college selection and application assistance, career-focused learning experiences, mental and physical health & wellness activities.
• Athletic training and financial support needed to succeed in regional & national squash competitions.
Phase 2 - College Degree
Access continues to support students in college through semester care packages, bi-monthly check-ins, ongoing financial aid assistance, and academic or emotional needs that arise.

Phase 3 – 2 Years Post-College
College graduates receive financial literacy education, resume support, job interview coaching, and networking opportunities, all highly individualized to suit each of our young professional's career and graduate study goals.

During the school year, Access students receive 1.5 hours of squash instruction and 1.5 hours of educational enrichment two to three times per week (two times per week, plus alternating Fridays). Each student receives approximately 345 hours (7.5 hrs. per week for 46 weeks). Additionally, Access students participate in health and wellness, college and career preparedness, financial responsibility, and leadership activities weekly during programming, and once-monthly weekend community service activities. Each Access student is required to complete 15 hours of community service per year.
Academic achievement includes activities like:
• Individual content area support
• Standardized test preparation
• College application counseling and assistance
• Building responsible work and study habits
Health and wellness:
• Regular and rigorous athletic training
• Stress management and emotional help
• Building healthy relationships and communication skills
• Nutrition education
Leadership:
• Monthly mentoring activities with adult volunteers
• Providing creative leadership opportunities for all students
• Deliberate emphasis on the practice of sportsmanship
• Empowering students to take progressive ownership of programs
Social responsibility:
• Monthly service-learning opportunities throughout San Diego
• Expecting older students to guide and coach younger generations
• Encouraging students to apply leadership lessons to the broader community
• Community building across all ages and genders

For 17 years, Access Youth Academy has successfully implemented and grown the impact of an after school program performed in the interest of San Diego County's low-income residents to promote equity. We do this by hosting daily after-school and summer programming for low-income youth. For 17 years, trained, expert staff members have provided Access Youth Academy participants with sufficient guidance, support, and access to opportunities necessary for them to break the cycle of poverty and find success. Access uses a combination of academic enrichment programs, health and wellness coaching, social responsibility activities, and leadership training using the sport of squash as a catalyst to achieve this goal.

During our 17 years in service, Access students have achieved a 100% high-school graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate, earned over $10.8mm in scholarship money (including Gates-Millennium and Questbridge Scholars), and won 13 national squash championships.

Access students have been accepted to and earned degrees from some of the nation’s top-rated schools including Columbia, Dartmouth, Amherst, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Trinity, Cornell, Princeton, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UCSD. Access program graduates have entered careers in biotechnology, structural engineering, cognitive science, medical fields, finance, and immigration law.

Access Youth Academy is a stable, well-established organization. Our well-rounded and highly engaged Board of Directors supports Access with their combined wealth of knowledge, experience, and community connections. Our proposed project will use our 16 years of experience implementing this transformative program, combined with leveraging community partnerships to fuel opportunities for success for as many low-income San Diego youth as possible.

Over 17 years, Access students have achieved a 100% high-school graduation rate, a 100% college acceptance rate, earned over $9.7 million in scholarship money, and won 13 national squash championships. They have attended leading colleges and universities, including Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia, Penn, UCLA, and UCSD. Seven students have attended UC Berkeley.

In June 2021, we opened our state-of-the-art education and squash facility in Southeast San Diego. Because of our increased capacity (4 classrooms, community spaces, 8 squash courts), we have been able to dramatically increase our ability to serve the community. We have already increased programs by 250%, growing the number of students to 300. In three years, in keeping with our strategic plan, we expect to be serving over 750 students.

For 17 years, Access programs have been supported 100% philanthropically. Upon opening the new facility, the Access funding model shifted from pure philanthropy to a combination of philanthropy and earned revenue.
• Access programs are now funded in part by paying squash club members, hosting sanctioned squash tournaments, running paid summer camps, hosting squash-based corporate team building events, and renting educational space in our facility. In three years, Access projects that 30% of the support for the nonprofit organization will be from revenue-generating programs.
• Additional future sources of funding will continue to come from philanthropy and government grants.
• To date, Access has secured several sustaining multi-year naming rights pledges.
• We plan to continue to secure funds from foundations, individuals, corporations by growing and leveraging our networks.
• Our Board of Directors, which we will continue to grow, takes an active role financially through a signed agreement and sharing their community connections.