NJ MED accepts the challenge to change the World
The war on poverty and injustices has been going on since man decided to kill a man. Here we are in the 21st century. And poverty is still here and man is still killing a man.
It’s like cancer, it grows and grows and spreads throughout the body. Stopping vital organs, killing the brain and then putting the heart to sleep forever.
I don’t know about you? But, we don’t want to leave this planet, without curing the cancer of poverty.
Who is NJ MED and Why they Matter
NJ MED (New Jersey Minority Educational Development) is a non-governmental organization in the United States. The organization’s founder and CEO, Albert N. Mitchell II, started the organization after community leaders in the Poorest and Most Dangerous Cities in America (Camden, New Jersey), asked him to stop the violence and help lead them out of poverty, in 1994.
In 1995, with a $10,000 state grant, and developing partnerships with the local University (Rutgers-Camden), the business community, and the failing school district. NJ MED developed a project (the 100% Graduation Rate Program) that increased high school graduation rates by 49%, youth employment by over 80%, and reduce crime by 91% for males 16-24, from 1996 to 2006.
Since, the 100% Graduation Rate Program, ended in 2006. The City of Camden fell back into one of America’s Greatest Tragedies. Poverty and the Crime Rate returned; because, the City’s leaders failed to follow the example NJ MED established, in targeting the highest at-risk population (male youths). Instead, they decided to reduce programs targeting that population, and increase law enforcement, and focus on privatizing the school system.
Lesson learned!
The Invisible Walls
The experience NJ MED gained in the City of Camden, in the United States; is the people living in poverty and committing crimes, are part of the problem. However, they are other factors, which are benefiting from these problems. Who are they? Why are they doing this? We guess it’s human nature, just like, went man decided to kill fellow man.
NJ MED, nevertheless, has shown; they focus on getting results. NJ MED builds, and they teach people the How To. Their strength is in the people they work with. Their motto “It’s together we win, together we grow, and we focus on the will.”
So, NJ MED has focused on the will and the willingness of the people that care about others. No invisible walls or evil thoughts of man; they’ve learned is greater than the will of an united people.
That’s why they feel they’re ready to help and accept international challenges and get results. No more surprises.
Do You Love Your Country?
In 2012, NJ MED launched its first international program – the World Top 20 Project. The Project’s mission is to ensure Every Child on the Planet has an opportunity to reach their full potential.
The project is part of NJ MED’s initiative America First or Last Movement, to improve nation’s national educational systems. Similar to how sports, uses a national team concept to gather support and promote togetherness for their country.
However, unlike sports, this approach has real consequences and affects everyone in their country. And everyone is a player on their national team.
To get people to care, NJ MED started a ranking system of 209 nation’s education systems. The ranking system gathers information on five levels of educational development. You can read more here.
By focusing on education, grassroots movements can be started at local levels to monitor how their children are developing into adulthood, and what type of services are needed, to ensure they have an opportunity to become a positive contributor to their local, state and national workforces and economies.
Next Week
We will show you how NJ MED’s ranking systems help’s your country improve its education system. In addition, to how they plan to use their ranking system to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Movement.
