Lacy Asbill and Elana Metz, Moving Forward Education
Moving Forward Education (MFE) is a multi-generational mentoring program aimed at fostering academic and emotional success for underserved students of color in California. Lacy Asbill and Elana Metz co-founded the program; they were inspired by a vision of an organization run by young people, for young people, focusing on students’ emotional well-being as a critical strategy for improving their academic achievement. MFE offers its services in two distinct programs: Girls Moving Forward, a program for girls run by young female educators, and Boys Moving Forward, a boy-centered program run by young male teachers. While both programs draw together the strengths of academic tutoring and mentoring, the two programs have unique social/emotional focuses based on the distinct pressures facing girls and boys. Girls Moving Forward focuses on building girls’ confidence and self-belief, addresses the persistent pressures that girls face around their body and appearance, and fosters healthy relationships among girls. Boys Moving Forward teaches boys to experience and express their emotions, works to develop boys’ impulse control and ability to resolve conflicts, and provides boys with much needed positive male role models. Both programs include reading, English language arts, and mathematics instruction, which is delivered in the socially-rich context of connected, nurturing, and safe classroom environments.
Asbill and Metz believe that helping students complete their education and earn their high school diploma is a powerful way to impact their ultimate economic security and life success. Since MFE’s founding in 2006, the organization has served 3,000 students, most at no cost to their families. In addition, MFE has trained 500 young adults to enter careers in the educational field, equipping them with real classroom experience and targeted professional development.
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