Mission and Vision

ABOVE & BEYOND is a Columbus-based youth/school violence-prevention project, set to launch as a pilot in the Fall of 2022.  We are excited about providing local youth with the protective-factor, emotional-regulation and life skills they need to positively cope with the kind of stress and trauma that can put them at risk for being a victim or perpetrator of violence. These skills will allow them to focus on living and thriving, rather than merely surviving community violence.

Columbus MBK Village has talked about this strength-based approach with professionals in schools and youth-serving organizations, with city-government officials, and with numerous grassroots, community-identified leaders across Columbus. These discussions with community stakeholders let us know that a “protective factors-driven” project like this is much needed in our city.

A&B connects Columbus youth to positive adults, who are a proven protective factor.  We will focus at the organizational level, recruiting adults who engage with youth on a daily basis as professionals working at a range of institutional or nonprofit settings. Then, through a digital platform and interpersonal dialogue between youth and these “Adult Allies,” we give young people the skills and confidence they need in order to practice self-care and cope differently with violence and other daily challenges we know they will face.

We need you to support ABOVE & BEYOND. Together we can change the world!