Aspire Dream BLDRS™ with 100 Kings
Aspire & 100 Black Men collaborate, uniting to deliver culturally relevant education that empowers black male youth.
Aspire, founded by best-selling author Patrick Walker-Reese and designer Channing Bailey, with a mission to create impactful learning experiences, brings Dream BLDRS to the 100 Kings program. Led by Director of Education Malik Yant, this 3-part series—Vision, Passion, Strengths—empowers young leaders to discover purpose, ignite passion, and build on their strengths. Together, we’re shaping a future where our young leaders rise to new heights.
A glimpse of Aspire Dream BLDRS in action!
Dream BLDRS
Aspire x 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee
Background
For over 30 years, the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee organization has been dedicated to empowering young Black males from middle school to high school through mentorship and educational initiatives. One of its flagship programs, 100 Kings, was established in 1991 to cultivate leadership skills and other essential competencies necessary for success. This mission is critical given the disparities in academic achievement and career outcomes for Black males.
In 2018, 33% of Black males were enrolled in college, a notable increase from 25% in 2000. However, this progress has faced setbacks, with enrollment declining by 14.3% as of spring 2021 compared to 2020, and only 22% of Black males achieving a bachelor’s degree or higher, significantly below the national rate of 34.5%. Programs like 100 Kings address these challenges by fostering leadership and personal development.
With the support of Aspire’s Dream BLDRS program, which incorporates a curriculum of engaging, interactive activities, 100 Kings ensures that participants are equipped to pursue their aspirations and overcome barriers to achieving their goals.
DREAM BLDRS OBJECTIVES
- Develop & Encourage Future Aspirations: Help students articulate clear, actionable vision statements that align with their goals and highlight the importance of having a vision for their future.
- Foster Personal Growth: Develop students’ soft skills, social-emotional awareness, and self-confidence through engaging activities and self-reflection exercises.
- Equip Students for Success: Provide tools and strategies for identifying strengths, setting goals, and connecting personal ambitions with solutions to global issues.
- Enhance Engagement and Collaboration: Use interactive assessments, such as the animal characteristics activity, to build self-awareness, teamwork, and appreciation of diverse strengths and values.
Dream BLDRS
.The Power of DREAM BLDRS
Why Dream BLDRS?
With the support of Aspire’s Dream BLDRS program, which incorporates a curriculum of engaging, interactive activities, 100 Kings ensures that participants are equipped to pursue their aspirations and overcome barriers to achieving their goals.
The Dream BLDRS program was reintroduced to 100 Kings with the goal of enhancing male students' soft skills, supporting their social-emotional well-being, and equipping them with essential tools to realize their future ambitions. By focusing on personal development and self-expression, the program aimed to build students' confidence, communication abilities, and overall readiness for future academic and professional challenges.
The Dream BLDRS program played a pivotal role in providing essential life skills for personal growth among participants, emphasizing the importance of education and higher learning. Through workshops designed to simulate a college-like environment, the program aimed to inspire a mindset that values academic achievement and lifelong learning. Over the course of three workshops held on separate Saturdays, approximately 35 young Black male students, aged 10 to 13, engaged in this transformative experience. The students’ high energy and the expression of their heartfelt dreams created an engaging and inspiring atmosphere, creating a space where their aspirations and potential were encouraged.
Dream BLDRS Highlights
- Unique Incentive 1: Dream BLDRS Vision Statement Competition for Cash Prizes
- Unique Incentive 2: Patfacts 2: More Than A Dream book giveaway
College & Career Readiness
Unique Incentives
Guest Speakers
Impact of Dream BLDRS
Aspire - Dream bldrs
Impact of Dream BLDRS
The Dream BLDRS program had a profound impact on the students, helping them articulate their goals and connect their aspirations to a larger purpose. Among the students, 24.2% expressed educational ambitions in their vision statements, followed by 21.2% focused on business and 18.2% on STEAM fields. Interest in health care and sports/entertainment each garnered 15.2%, while criminal justice and finance had the lowest interest at 3% each. Remarkably, every student had a clear vision of their future, crafting statements that incorporated being big, seemingly unrealistic, and impactful.
“I am Matthew Harris, and I will be a successful engineer with an abundance of financial assets. I plan to go back home to Mound Bayou, MS, to restart the Cometic Institute, a summer enrichment program for younger students.”
— Matthew Harris, a 100 Kings Student
A glimpse of Aspire Dream BLDRS in action!
The workshops also encouraged students to identify their “why” through addressing global challenges. A significant 51.9% chose to tackle “violence” as the world issue they want to solve, with 18.5% focusing on education, 14.8% on homelessness, 11.1% on global warming, and 3.7% on world hunger. One student emphasized the importance of addressing violence, saying, “I see people senselessly killing others.” Another group proposed using a $2 million budget to create safety platforms and strengthen anti-violence laws in America.
During goal-setting sessions, 67.9% of students prioritized making better grades, 57.1% aimed to graduate or continue their education, and 50% sought to increase their income. The program’s overall impact was overwhelmingly positive, with 83.4% of students rating their experience 5 out of 5 stars. One student reflected, “My biggest takeaway was to first take advantage of the connections you have because it can help you reach whatever dream you want to accomplish.” The workshops provided students with the tools and inspiration to turn their dreams into actionable plans, leaving a lasting impression on their futures.
