Causes: Arts & Culture, Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, Cultural & Ethnic Awareness, Youth Development Programs

Mission: The CornelWest Academy of Excellence (CWAE) is a program that addresses many of theneeds of young minority male elementary and middle school students in Wake/Johnston/DurhamCounties. 

Programs:

TheCornel West Academy of Excellence wasstarted to address many of the needs of at-risk African American male elementaryschool students in Wake County. Theacademy will consist of key components that will address crucial issuesaffecting African American male students. Literacy, Mathematics, Mentoring, and Critical Thinking are thecomponents that will be addressed. Theacademy provides its services to 20-25 African American boys in the 2ndthru 4th grades. 

The academy will use innovative programs andcurriculums to challenge the young men and to raise their academic achievements. To improve the students’ comprehension andwriting skills, the Hip Hop EducationalLiteracy Program (H.E.L.P.) will be used. The program is a literacy program that uses Hip-Hop music lyrics tocapture and hold the attentions of students. The program meets all the standards of the National EducationAssociation. To improve criticalthinking, self-esteem, and cognitive skills, the academy has formed the Sankofa Chess Club. The club will serve as the foundation for thestudents to learn and compete at the game of chess. Studies have shown that chess increasesstudent achievement and thinking skills. The club will work towards participating in local and statewide chesstournaments. The Dare To Be King (DTBK) Mentoring curriculum will be used to helpthe young men deal with violence and other emotional issues affectingthem. The mentoring program will serveas an anti-gang, anti-drug, anti-gun, and anti-violence prevention tool. The Self-EsteemThrough Culture Leads to Academic Excellence (SETCLAE) curriculum will beused to teach the boys the positive aspects of their cultural heritage and simultaneouslyincrease their self-esteem and their desire to excel.