South Los Angeles is the youth gang and homicide capital of the world. More murders occur within the 40 square miles that define the area than the total murder count in 10 states combined. Every child in the community lives in a violent crime area. Reach Me, Teach Me AmeriCorps program is working in the heart of this community to change the lives of these children, transforming a community one child at a time.

Reach Me, Teach Me is a collaborative of the Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade, The California Endowment, the City of Los Angeles Gang Reduction and Youth Development Office, and the Los Angeles Community Development Department. This program is an evidenced-based, comprehensive, well-coordinated prevention strategy that uses AmeriCorps Members as tutors to address the severe academic and socio-behavioral challenges of 50 high-risk South Los Angeles youth (10 – 15 years old) and results in improved academic achievement and significantly reduces youth gang violence.

Overwhelming evidence suggests that South Los Angeles’ youth gang violence and delinquency issues are primarily perpetuated by youth with severe academic and socio-behavioral issues. 87% of the community’s gang and youth violence issues involve these youth; 97% of incarcerated youth have socio-behavioral issues relating to aggression, negative life events, delinquent beliefs, antisocial behavior, parental supervision, and/or a commitment to delinquent peers; 85% of the area’s incarcerated youth have less than a 6th grade academic proficiency attainment level; recidivism rates for youth demonstrating academic proficiency below 4th grade level is 93%; and recidivism rates for youth earning diplomas or General Education Degrees is less than 2%. Reach Me, Teach Me is giving the children in this community an opportunity for quality education to improve their quality of life.

AmeriCorps members are assigned to no more than five youth with whom they work four to eight hours per day for 50 weeks in a highly-focused and intentional manner. Extensive and relevant training is one factor that has distinguished Reach Me, Teach Me as a highly-effective research- and evidence-based program. The program improves the functional grade level and social behavior of more than 300 youth annually based on validated and reliable quantitative and qualitative industry-accepted and aligned assessments. 80% (40 of 50) of youth who receive 300 hours of tutoring will increase functional grade level by two years in ELA and math as measured by the Saxon Assessment and modified California Standards Test. Moreover, because members are assigned to a finite number of youth for an entire year, youth are able to develop meaningful relationships and receive services of sufficient intensity and duration to effect significant change.

Reach Me, Teach Me’s success has garnered national acclaim including receipt of the National Criminal Justice Association 2010 Outstanding Juvenile Justice Program Award given to the best youth development program in the western United States. The innovation of this AmeriCorps Program, the leadership of this smart collaborative, and its irrefutable impact on this under-resourced and challenged community is deserving of the 2012 National Service Impact Award.