Mentorship Matters
Help us give a disadvantaged child a hand up. Change their world. This changes everything.
ABOUT US
Since 2017, PowerUP Scholarship Fund has worked to bring mentorship to scholars via martial arts. By removing the burden of cost of martial arts classes for families, PowerUP gives scholars access to new experiences and a path to learn our three pillars of Self-Control, Resilience, and Respect.
MISSION
To help disadvantaged and special needs kids thrive by teaching core values through high quality martial arts mentorship.
Nearly half a million children in Metro Atlanta live in communities with low or very low child well-being. Mentorship programs work, but traditional mentorship models can only serve a fraction of the kids who need a hand up, because one-to-one mentorship models are difficult to scale.
Our mission is to provide high quality mentorship at scale, serving more kids, more quickly.
We have grown from 15 kids in 2017 to over 150 in 2021. We have strong demand from parents and partners, and aim to serve 600 kids by the end of 2023.
VISION
Building a Scalable Mentorship Model
Martial Arts gyms are generally run by practitioners who have dedicated their lives to teaching, and to a set of core values.
One instructor or gym owner can mentor 40-60 scholarship kids at a time, and instructors work after school and on the weekends.
PowerUP can provide instructors and gym owners with marketing help and business tools to increase the number of paying students in addition to scholarship students.
Many gym owners have excess capacity, and lumpy businesses. A base of recurring revenue is highly attractive to them. We help our instructors build sustainable businesses.
This virtuous cycle enables us to serve underprivileged kids, and support local businesses that create jobs.
HOW IT WORKS
Delivering Mentorship through Instructors
Private donors, schools, and communities provide money and other resources. Partners and schools refer scholarship candidates. PowerUP grants scholarships to underprivileged and at-risk kids. PowerUP recruits, trains and monitors a network of participating instructors. Instructors provide mentorship and martial arts training.
IMPACT
Change their world. This changes everything.
News
Mentorship Matters
How Martial Arts Helps Kids Gain Confidence and Resilience
Martial arts is one of the best ways for children and teens to gain real-life skills, resilience, and the confidence they need to reach their full potential. The combination of mental discipline and physical exertion provides a positive outlet for youths that helps them develop positive solutions during their formative years. Here are a few of the many ways martial arts helps kids gain confidence and resilience.
3 Benefits of Martial Arts for Youth
From mental health benefits to physical health improvements, the positive effects of martial arts for youth are widespread. Whether done as an extracurricular or in serious pursuit of a black belt, children and teenagers can build valuable physical and mental skills through regular martial arts practice. Here are 3 major benefits of martial arts for youth.
PowerUp Program Coordinator Yulvi Reyes Solorio Connects with Students and Families
Since joining PowerUP Scholarship Fund as Program Coordinator in June, I have had the pleasure of learning more about our scholarship families. Over the last month, I’ve been focused on getting to know our scholars, receiving parent feedback, and connecting with over 155 families.