During these stressful times, we at Dreams Academy want to be sure you are informed of the resources and information available to you and your family: COVID-19 Resources available for Akron Residents⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ United Way of Summit County resources home page or call or text 211 - Food assistance, medical information services, utility disconnection protection, etc.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Greater Akron Chamber's Resource Page - Financial Relief, SBA Econonmic Injury Disaster Loans, Unemployment Assistance, Etc.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ To Donate: Akron Summit County COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Will post more resources as they come. Stay safe.

Four years ago, I started Dreams Academy in hopes of serving a population that our society often writes off and are often treated as less than the Kings that they really are. I needed our young black men to be reassured that we see the greatness in them as they will be future husbands, fathers, businessmen, athletes, entrepreneurs, and next in line to assume the roles that will lead our communities. ⁣ ⁣ What was supposed to be a one time summer program in a small church on Akron’s west side started with 11 young men and has blossomed into an organization that currently serves through our own independent programming, as well as in 8 schools between Akron and Cleveland, Ohio, having made impact on over 300 young men. ⁣ ⁣ In 2018, we added the music and media center in the Kenmore neighborhood and offer a place where our kids can hone their musical gifts and talents, and have had over 50 students there since opening. The pride in randomly seeing someone out in a Dreams Academy t shirt or having people I’ve never met speak to and encourage us to keep doing what we are doing is an incomparable joy. ⁣ ⁣ Watching our guys grow into phenomenal young leaders knowing that we were able to leave an imprint on them and play a part in their development assured me of my current assignment and purpose. In the midst of the current climate of chaos, today I am grateful and thankful for God’s provision, every speaker, facilitator, financial supporter, prayer partner, volunteer, school, grant writer, advice giver, the Dreams Moms Squad, board member, and lastly, the families and the young men that make up the fabric of Dreams Academy. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲!⁣ ⁣ - Brandon R. Scarborough

Wake Up 2020 Summer Experience Register today for the Dreams Academy 2020 Summer Experience, Wake Up! All sessions will be held Monday – Thursday starting June 15th at Main Preparatory School. Young men ages 7-15 can apply today. Cost of summer tuition is $300 per student. Don’t miss out on the summer of a lifetime. Apply Today!

Is your son being seen? Dreams Academy is more than a mentoring group. We are a collective of positive male figures who creates a space where your child can be seen by not only his mentors, but also his peers.⁣ ⁣ Our young men need to know their voice is being heard and their opinion matters. Registration for the “Dreams Academy Summer Experience” starts now! Log into: DreamsAcademyAkron.org to reserve his space!

Dreams Academy is a true brotherhood. We don’t only meet each week. Our program strategies build relationships that play a key part in each young man’s individual success.⁣ ⁣ Summer registration starts soon. Make sure you signed up for our email list: DreamsAcademy.org

Here at Dreams Academy academics is just a snapshot of what we measure in regards to our student’s success. We love to celebrate when our students are doing well and we also intervene when they aren’t doing so well. The grading scale is insight into what’s going on but we also measure how they feel about their teachers, peers, and workload. At times that becomes deeper insight into how their grades will pan out.⁣ Their opportunities for creativity are also a huge indicator of success. ⁣ Because of this, Dreams Academy has a music studio in @1040griffs! (Buchtel CLC) Thanks to @ubcakron and @guitarcenter, we are teaching black males leadership skills. Alongside that we are using music production as a learning tool. We realize in order for our boys to be successful and innovative, creative learning techniques must be used!⁣ ⠀⠀⁣ The room the studio is set up inside of was paid for by the @cavs as a tech learning area! 💪🏾 Thank you to the entire Cavs organization!⁣

Written, performed, and produced by Dreams Music Academy

DREAMS has a huge launch scheduled for this Friday! Our team and our boys have been working on an amazing project for the past few months that we can’t wait to release to you all! Stay tuned by checking out our IG Stories every morning. You’re not going to want to miss this. 💯

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 is a community hub for both children and adults to learn and hone their musical talents. ⁣ ⁣ The DAMMC offers private lessons in piano, drums, bass, guitar, and voice. We will also offer specialty sessions are tailored for groups of 5-10.

Our Mission: To provide a network of professional African American males to mentor, teach, and ultimately positively affect young black males by sowing into their manhood.⁣ ⁣ Dreams Academy is for young men ages 10-15. We meet on Monday evenings and the during the 8 weeks, students will experience and be exposed to activities and thought-provoking dialogue that will holistically encourage and teach soft skills, problem solving, career guidance, and financial literacy. ⁣ ⁣ These sessions are be taught by predominantly African-American male professionals that presently work in a multitude of fields and vocations.

On this Valentines Day we would like to send love and appreciation to all of Dreams Academy’s parents, supporters, and donors! We couldn’t do any of this without your support and commitment to your child’s future with Dreams! Drop a ❤️ below in honor of our amazing TRIBE!

Did you know #DreamsAcademy will soon open registration for our summer camp?⁣ ⁣ We are in the midst of creating our best summer program yet! It will encompass some of the best quality programming our city has to offer. ⁣ ⁣ If you’re looking for an affordable and creative option for your child this summer, please send us an inbox with your email address and the age of your child. Our summer camp is very limited, so please act fast to ensure your child’s space in our program!

As an increasing number of black boys are facing mental health issues in our city, #DreamsAcademy tries our best in addressing these risk factors through our programming. . . Take a look at the laughter coming from the faces of our boys. Laughter has the following affects on mental health. . . ✔️ Adds joy and zest to life ✔️ Eases anxiety and tension ✔️ Relieves stress ✔️ Improves mood ✔️ Strengthens resilience ✔️ Social benefits ✔️ Strengthens relationships ✔️ Attracts others to us ✔️ Enhances teamwork ✔️ Helps defuse conflict ✔️ Promotes group bonding

Has anyone ever taught your son, grandson, or nephew how to do a proper handshake? Dreams Academy is more than a non-profit, we are more than a community organization, and we are more than a mentoring program. . . We challenge ourselves and the men of the community to impact each child's life on a practical level. We want to make sure that while the school is working on their academics, we are working on the deepest parts of their character. #DreamAcademy

This week at our Dreams Academy session at Main St. Prep, we dealt with the phrase “My Fault” and what it really meant. Our guys, in the 4th and 5th grades, admitted they had difficulty using phrases like “I apologize” or “I’m sorry” because it made them sound soft and because men don’t say those things. We explained to them real men can articulate emotion and you are not soft for saying “I didn’t mean to do that” or “I didn’t realize I offended you, I am sorry” and they vowed to practice all week long with their peers and teachers to use their words and avoid broad terms like “my fault” and “my bad” . . The deeper concern is that they already feel the pressure to be hard, that real men don’t cry, admit fault, where the only emotion they are allowed to show is anger, as kids! These past few weeks involved extreme emotion for especially black men with Kobe’s passing. I hope that young men were able to see the examples of grief, the regret of not mending friendships, apologizing for offenses, or holding grudges that can cause more pain in the end as Kobe also showed that none of us are promised more time. . . My Uncle William Green told me years ago that if you offend someone, apologize even if you don’t agree with the offense. In my youthful ability to know it all at the time, I disagreed with him. Years later, I think he was right. I’m challenging myself to do what I told our guys and not use broad phrases, listen to understand, not listen to respond, and apologize when necessary. - @mrdreamsacademy