Ground Zero Incorporated is a non-profit outreach development program founded in 2014 to support young men between the ages of 12 and 25 to build a sense of identity and independence, self-control, and learn important decision-making skills. The organization works across Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Franklin and Suffolk, areas considered disadvantaged by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. For example, census 51700030300 in Newport News is in the top tenth percentile for Projected Flood Risk, Asthma, Diabetes, Low Life Expectancy, and the 84th percentile for Low Income. Participants attend mentoring sessions, practical exercises, and field trips, over the course of six months, gaining opportunities to establish relationships of mutual trust and immerse themselves in a caring learning environment. These opportunities build the capacity of participants to mitigate the socioeconomic, climate and environmental issues they face.
Program participants showcasing their 2024 vision boards.
Ground Zero Incorporated has a small team of six volunteers with BIPOC representation, that provide participants with services such as job placements, life skills workshops, career and behavior counselling, leadership skills, and financial planning. The organization recognizes that all young men are unique, and need support that is catered to fit them as individuals, whilst benefiting from a supportive group environment in a residential setting. The outreach program not only functions as an educational space, but it also provides participants with the skills to advocate for environmental justice in their communities; promotes collective action; builds confidence and critical thinking skills of young men to build a better future; and helps youth to identify and understand climate and environmental injustice in their own communities. Ground Zero Incorporated is working to change the future image of young men; one individual, one group, and one community at a time.
Mentors and mentees at a Ground Zero Incorporated event.