Helping underserved young people embrace education, get into college and go on to be world-class citizens is the mission of a program called FATE. It's operated as part of the cause-based clothing company Merit Goodness.
Give Merit Executive Director Kuhu Saha and 2016 FATE graduate Asha Stewart joined Stateside to share how FATE provides a space where students can create aspirations.
According to Saha, too many kids in cities like Detroit are dropping out of school or aren't graduating on time.
“We felt a lot of that had to do with aspiration,” Saha said. “That we weren’t really, as a community, providing a space for young people to dream, to aspire, to find things they were passionate about.”
FATE partners with companies like Google, Zingerman’s, and Plante Moran to provide programming for students who might be interested in those industries. FATE also provides mentors and scholarships.
“Exposure is just a huge part,” Saha said. “If you haven’t been outside of your community or what you are seeing every day, then how is it that you are seeing more for yourself outside of that?"
Listen below for the full conversation.
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