The mission of Ujamaa Place is to assist African American men typically between the ages of 18 to 28 years of age, who are economically disadvantaged and have experienced repeated cycles of failure. Paul, Minnesota, Ujamaa Place offers these young men success in their lives through education and life-skills training specifically aimed at turning their lives around to become productive members of t
heir families and communities. They’ve grown up impoverished and without fathers, they’ve dropped out of school, they’ve never held a decent job, they’ve become involved in drugs and violence, and many have been to jail more than once. Without effective intervention, their prospects are dim, but we know that change is possible. Please join us in working with this marginalized population for a better future for them, their families, and our community! Ujamaa Place programming is made available at no cost to participants, but it is a program that demands mutual accountability. It helps men develop the skills it takes to be a successful individual, father, employee, and citizen. Trained coaches develop high-context relationships that are individualized for each participant, rather than applying a prescribed approach to all. Coaches have often overcome similar obstacles in their own lives, providing inspiration and models of empowerment for participants. To graduate from the program, a Ujamaa Place participant must demonstrate job skills, empowerment skills and life-skills through the following:
• Completion of his GED
• Demonstrated use of Empowerment Skills in his daily life
• Remained drug free
• No recent criminal offenses
• Secured stable housing
• Held a job for a minimum of three months
Ujamaa is not a holding place, but a place of new beginnings and transition. Graduates continue to successfully hold jobs and are enrolled in job training programs in which they gain the skills necessary to secure high skill jobs with benefits.
