The Legacy Institute consists of 24 academic programs and interest areas: • Banking • Black History • Career Exploration • Chess • Civics and Politics • Coding • Completing the Application • Credit 101 • Debate • Education • Engineering • Entrepreneurship • Entry Level Job Preparation • Food and Nutrition • Health and wellness • Journalistic and Creative Writing • Leadership • Music/Entertainment Management and Production • Professional Development & College Preparation • Real Estate • Sex Education • STEM • Technology • Trades, Specialties and Certification • Brief descriptions for each course follow: Ages/Institute Structure Legacy Institute will accept and serve ages 5 through 21, with different course complexity and difficulty based on age. Black First steps: 5 – 7 ​Bronze Elementary School: 8 – 10 Silver Middle School: 11 – 13 Gold High School: 14 – 17 Platinum Legacy Scholars: 18 – 21 Each semester, we will admit 20 students per age group, 10 boys and 10 girls. Once the slots are filled, prospective participants will be placed on a waiting list. Legacy Institute will take place every Saturday and will be an eight-week course. Participants will have to complete quizzes, assignments, homework and tests during this program. A graduation ceremony will take place during the ninth week of each semester. Program participants will attend 5 fifty-five-minute courses per Saturday. Students will attend their first three classes from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and then take a thirty-minute lunch break before returning to their last two classes of the day from 12:00 p.m. to 2 p.m. The last hour will serve as office hours and study hall for students to work on Legacy Institute assignments with tutors and to meet with their mentors. Dress Code: Legacy Institute scholars are required to wear uniforms consisting of khaki pants and a white, green, yellow, orange or pink shirt. If a scholar is unable to afford the uniform, we will have financial assistance applications and stipends to assist with the purchase. Legacy Institute Levels Legacy Institute Platinum Level Ages 18-21 Legacy Institute’s Platinum group will focus on young adults who recently graduated or are in their last year of high school. This platinum level will assist young adults in discovering the next best step for them while simultaneously learning how to better their communities. Platinum level courses will consist of Entrepreneurship, Black History, Real Estate, Coding, Credit 102, Technology, Engineering, Civics and Politics, Banking and Career Exploration. These courses will allow our young adults to enter the real world knowledgeable in academia and real-world subjects they’ll need in order to obtain wealth and pass it down. Legacy Institute Gold Level Ages 14-17 Legacy Institute’s Gold level will consist of high school students who want to learn more about the community, gain skills that will help after high school, successfully gain admittance into college, successfully gain admittance into trade schools and more. Gold level students will also learn how to create resumes, successfully interview, apply for college, fill out a FAFSA, and apply for trade school in addition to knowledge obtained through their course work. Gold level courses will consist of Entrepreneurship, Black History, Credit 101, Engineering, Civics and Politics, Professional Development and College Preparation, STEM, Music and Entertainment Management and Production, and Health and Career Exploration. Legacy Institute Silver Level Ages 11-13 Legacy Institute’s Silver level is for our middle school students preparing for high school. Legacy Institute will assist in preparing them for high school. Ideally, with Legacy Institute students should be able to take AP and honors courses in high school if they so choose. Students will be tested on the first day to see what they already know and tested on the last day to see what they learned throughout the eight weeks. Silver level courses will consist of health, coding, civics and politics, entrepreneurship, speech and debate, computer sciences, African American studies, career exploration and music and entertainment production and management. Legacy Institute Bronze Level Ages 8-10 Legacy Institute’s Bronze level is our elementary school level to build upon the ideas introduced during Black level courses. During the Bronze level, students will have class work and short quizzes to start locking the lessons into their minds and being able to communicate what they are learning. Bronze level courses will consist of Health and Wellness, Black History, Civics and Politics, Education, Financial Literacy, Journalistic and Creative writing, Music and Entertainment, Technology, Career Exploration and Entrepreneurship. Legacy Institute Black Level Ages 5-7 Legacy Institute’s Black level is the youngest group in Legacy Institute. Studies show that children learn fastest when they’re younger and when they are exposed to various topics from a young age, it increases their overall understanding and comprehension of those topics later in life. Black level courses will introduce topics to children so they’re familiar with them early on in a kid friendly and hands on fashion to make sure the students are still engaged. This level will also teach them self-confidence and self-pride about their heritage, who they are and where they come from. Black level courses will consist of Black History 101, Black History 102, Creative Writing and Reading Comprehension, Leadership, Computer Science, Health and Wellness, STEM, Career Exploration, Music, Dance, and Arts and Technology. Legacy Institute Black: 5-7-year-old curriculum Eight-week courses offered for this age group: • Black History 101 • Black History 102 • Creative Writing/ Reading Comprehension • Leadership • Computer Science • Health and Wellness • STEM • Career Exploration • Music, Dance, and Arts • Technology Legacy Institute Bronze: 8-10-year-old curriculum Eight-week courses offered for this age group: • Health and Wellness • Black History • Civics and Politics • Education • Financial Literacy • Journalistic and Creative writing • Music and Entertainment • Technology • Career Exploration • Entrepreneurship • Legacy Institute Silver: 11-13-year-old curriculum Eight-week courses offered for this age group: • Health and Wellness • Coding • Civics and politics • Entrepreneurship • Speech and Debate • Computer Sciences • African American Studies • Career Exploration • Music and Entertainment production and management • Food and Nutrition • Legacy Institute Gold: 14-17 years old Curriculum Eight-week courses offered for this age group: • Entrepreneurship • Black History • Credit 101 • Engineering • Civics and Politics • Professional Development and College Preparation • STEM • Music and Entertainment Management and Production • Health and Wellness • Career Exploration Legacy Institute Platinum: 18-21 years old Curriculum Eight-week courses offered for this age group: • Entrepreneurship • Black History • Real Estate • Coding • Credit 102 • Technology • Engineering • Civics and Politics • Banking • Career Exploration • Health and Wellness • Sex Education Incentives By participating in Legacy Institute, program participants will have the opportunity to receive several incentives. They will walk away with a new sense of empowerment after being exposed to many life and career tips, lessons and skills. Participants will gain various knowledgeable mentors and skilled professionals in their respective fields to help them outline their career path. They will gain a greater sense of self as they learn about their own history. They will gain a better understanding of financial literacy as they learn about credit, banking and saving. Participants will learn about several ‘real world’ topics as they matriculate through the institute. They will also have the opportunity to attend educational field trips. In addition to the knowledge program participants will acquire through the academic programs’ curriculum, students who complete the program in its entirety and maintain a 2.75 grade point average will receive a college scholarship. Trade school scholarships will also be available. Grade school participants will also have the opportunity to obtain high school scholarships into select private schools. Program participants are also eligible to receive academic gift cards, laptops, tablets, school bags and other school supplies. Legacy Institute ensures its graduates are prepared for college and the workforce, meaning scholars will also benefit from free tutoring, free resume building, help finding paid internships and apprenticeships as well as access to exclusive job opportunities. Lastly, by being a Legacy Institute scholar, even after you graduate and become alumni, you will still be able to benefit from program resources and incentives. Counseling Resources Legacy Institute takes mental health and development very seriously. It places a special emphasis on providing counseling resources to scholars and their parents. In 2022, Legacy Institute will have a counselor on staff who will be available during Institute hours as well as extra help hours on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday through Thursdays from 3p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to a counselor, Legacy Institute will also offer events and classes centered around mental health. Classes will focus on topics including emotional responses, coping mechanisms and therapeutic communication skills. Participants and alumni will be eligible to receive free individual counseling, group counseling and even counseling with their parents. There will also be a parenting specialist on staff to help assist students who have children, are expecting, or who are playing an integral role in raising their younger siblings. A parenting class and a diaper bank are additional resources that will be available to Legacy Institute scholars. Legacy Institute’s National Initiative Legacy Institute was created in 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri and the institute’s home base is located in St. Louis, however branches of Legacy Institute will be state-wide and country wide. Legacy Institute will operate locally for the first year and then quickly expand. The institute will have branches located in Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Dallas, Houston, and Washington D.C. One of the courses Legacy Institute will offer is a centered around debate. The course will introduce students to debate and teach them the skills they will need to be successful. During the second year of Legacy Institute, we will develop a national debate competition. The competition will be open to all cities and states with competing debate teams. The winner of the debate competition will receive different prizes and scholarships. The competition will also have media coverage from various news and media outlets. Another competitive course Legacy Institute will offer is its chess course. The course will introduce students to chess and teach them the skills and discipline needed to win the majority of their matches. Similar to the debate team, Legacy Institute will also develop a national traveling chess team. Legacy Institute scholars would have to try out for both teams. If they are not selected, they would still be able to participate in the courses, they just would not be able to travel and compete with Legacy Institute’s competition teams. Legacy Institute’s Extra Help Legacy Institute’s extra help is the Youth Facility that will operate in conjunction with the institute. Set to launch in 2022, it will encompass additional hours that program participants, alumni and their families can benefit from. Extra help hours will take place on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. In order to access Legacy Institute’s Extra Help, program participants will receive a membership card with their picture on it. When program participants graduate, they will be granted a Legacy Institute Alumni card which will allow additional benefits. The card is to be renewed each year. With Legacy Institute cards, program participants, alumni and families will be able to benefit from free counseling, tutoring and mentorship. Legacy Institute will also send out a quarterly newsletter to cardholders with updates regarding additional opportunities and field trips. Additionally, cardholders will have access to a 24-hour hotline they can call if they need assistance with anything related to school, their home life, extenuating circumstances, their mental health, their physical health, life and so on. Scholars will be able to play games that help build mental strength, technology games and educational games. The games will be provided by and be housed at the facility. Lastly, a board will be dedicated to various listings such as job descriptions and opportunities, internships and apprenticeships. A career counselor will be on staff at Legacy Institute to assist students with applying for and taking advantage of these opportunities.