FREEDOM YOUTH ACADEMY, INC.
1600 MORRIS ROAD, SE
WASHINGTON, DC 20020
(202) 889-1682 OR (202) 584-3012 FAX: (202) 610-1519 OR (202) 584-3012   

PARTNERSHIP PAPER

On November 16, 2005, Mrs. Mary Ann Gaskins participated in a panel discussion as part of the D. C. Children and Youth Investment Corporation grantees monthly meeting. The discussion was on effective partnerships between community based organizations. Mrs. Gaskins paper is featured below.

A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF SUCCESSFUL LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS AT THE FREEDOM YOUTH ACADEMY, INC.

Freedom Youth Academy has successfully demonstrated that partnerships can be significantly beneficial at local, national, and global venues. The term partnership has many different meanings. It refers to relationships with vendors, limited partnerships, and business alliances. Partnerships are created to emphasize the importance of teamwork, and to provide a new spirit of seeking out opportunities for collaboration and networking.
We believe that partners should be willing to learn from each other in a context of mutual respect and trust, in order to identify and implement shared solutions. The first and foremost educational partnership was between my husband and me when we decided to create an academic program for the youth in Southeast Washington in our home.

The next important partnership was established with our three children who were encouraged to work to their highest potential, as well as, to become academic role models for their peers.

This was a very important strategy since a number of parents initially inquired whether our children were graduates of the Academy. They were indeed excellent students and high achievers in high school and college which gave the program instant credibility among peers, parents, and neighbors.

By word of mouth the Freedom Youth Academys reputation for improving the SAT scores and grade-point-averages of its students grew by leaps and bounds. On a local basis the Academy established partnerships with the Library of Congress, the National Air and Space Museum, the Anacostia Smithsonian Museum, and the United Planning Organization. We initiated and established an academic partnership and relationship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the University of the District of Columbia for providing a quality education in science, math, and computer technology for our students.
We were receiving overwhelming demand for our academic assistance and SAT preparation at a number of local schools; such as, Polk Elementary School, Eastern, H. D. Woodson, Carroll, Episcopal, and Springbrook High Schools.

On a national basis, the Freedom Youth Academy implemented a partnership with the Parent Advisory Council at Bloomfield High School in Connecticut on How Parents Can Help Improve Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores.
We also formulated a partnership with the Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia Saturday Enrichment Academy by assisting the students with test-taking skills, analytical thinking and reasoning strategies. Another one of our partnerships is with the Reebok-Allen-Iverson-Dedication-Education-Respect-Sportsmanshiship RAIDERS, created by our son, Henry Que Gaskins, vice president of Reebok International, to assist the at-risk youth in Philadelphia in their academic endeavors.

On the global level, the Freedom Youth Academy was approached by the U. S. State Department and Action Volunteer Agency to conduct International Educational Forums for an international delegation of educators, social workers, professional employees, and foreign government representatives. The forums were conducted for five consecutive years. Each year foreign representatives from many different countries were present at each of the seminars

As we enter our 26th year of operating the Freedom Youth Academy and conducting partnerships on the local, national, and global levels, we have indeed exceeded everyones expectations and have proven that partnership can be more than a fashionalbe buzzword. It can point the way to a fundamental shift in human relations. By no means do we believe that a partnership is a panacea or utopia. It is simply applying our creativity to human interactions in a manner that will achieve its stated purpose. Some partnerships may last for the duration of a program; others may last just to accomplish the short term objectives. The basic premise for supporting and advocating partnerships can be summarized as follows: None of us are as good as all of us.

We have maintained the original thrust of the program at the Freedom Youth Academy by focusing on the local partnerships in Southeast Washington. They include the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Upper and Lower Schools, and the Children of Mine Center. Recently, we have established another local partnership with the Youth Investment Ministry of the Arts (YIMA).

The American Cultural Trust of Portugal was established by Dina Cordeiro who graduated from Harvard University and interned as a volunteer at the Freedom Youth Academy. She has since written two books for children, has done research on curricula, and has extended an invitation to us to visit her in Europe. As a result of her successful tenure at the Freedom Youth Academy, we have been providing job references for her during the past 20 years. This is just one example that confirms the fact that ideal partnerships can endure for years. We have been elated and overjoyed with the number of partnerships that we have been associated with since our inception. Partnerships have enabled us to literally expand the globe in providing a quality learning experience to the children, parents, and teachers.

Moreover, I am convinced by my past experiences that ordinary partnerships are capable of achieving extraordinary results in resolving complex academic and comprehensive educational challenges that may confront us in the future.

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