Youth Achievers Usa

ALL DAY LONG!!! We can debate the benefits of affordable health care, racial inequality, immigration, ethics in government, and at the end of the day, our leaders will have talked through, around and over the single most important issue of our time.   NATIONAL SECURITY and how it relates to America's most vulnerable citizens is a conversation we must have, and now is the best time to have that conversation.  We'll need to start looking at our youth through a NATIONAL SECURITY lens if we expect to reverse some 400 plus years of INSECURITY where we live, learn, work and/or worship.

On behalf of the YouthUSA Corporate Village of beneficiaries, stakeholders and officers, we are, in this season, collectively mourning the loss of a pillar in our community and this nation.  Ms. Evelyn Walker Armstrong served as a founding director for the national 501c3 public charity, Youth Achievers USA Institute (EIN 20-4945833).  She contributed faithfully through executive consultation and philanthropic investment until her death on January 10, 2015. In September 2006, Evelyn co-founded The J.D. and Laurena Walker Fund, as the development program of Youth Achievers USA Institute.  She has since served as chair of that program task force. In this capacity, she constantly challenged her fellow officers to accomplish great works with modest means.  Up to the final hours of her “dash,” that symbolic measure of her temporal economy on earth from April 18, 1927 to January 10, 2015, Evelyn was at work, tasking care givers from Visiting Nurses Association with feeding her one last meal of grits, scrambled egg

In our nation’s birthplace, the City of Brotherly Love, your American Mentors encountered a STATE OF THE UNION type question, Why does life have to be so difficult? YouthUSA National Director, Evelyn Walker Armstrong, at age 87, posed the question during a knowledge transfer session with fellow board members.  Then, from her own experiences and insights she answered her own question, “It doesn’t. We make it difficult. Welcome to 2015.  A gulf of mistrust describes our STATE OF THE UNION unless WE THE PEOPLE overcome and form a more perfect union.  Fifty years after demonstrators crossed Selma, Alabama’s Pettus Bridge, protesting for equal rights under the law of the land--fifty years after blacks laid beaten and abused by law enforcement. For the second time in American history, a Black Male gets to share his minority vision for America’s future before the historic 114th session of the United States Congress. In the house, a majority sits waiting to govern from a Grand Ol Party point of view.  You can tweet

Commentators on the color of Barack Obama’s Presidency suggest the era has been all about race.  So, 2.1 billion believers on the planet will need to help some folks PAY ATTENTION.  Your vision for America’s future has never been about race, but a walk in the light.  The shared vision that somehow escapes airtime and print as well as justice for all is simply this, WE THE PEOPLE in order to form a more perfect union... While optimists have been banking on a new age of racial harmony,  pessimists seem to be more fearful of a surge in racial strife.  There is, however,  place for common vision to take shape.  The questions before us are at what cost and whether or not we are ready to pursue, for ourselves and our posterity, that vision of a more perfect union. You can tweet us @YouthUSA, Like us on Facebook.com/YouthAchieversUSA or call in during our live show 657-383-1405 Saturday, 12 noon eastern, 11 am central, 9 am on the West Coast.   

In our last episode, we took one more look -- hopefully our last -- at a Gulf of Mistrust between some law enforcers and citizens of color we had hoped justice would serve equally.  We learned of a community of believers to include 2.1 billion Christians who could touch and agree that #BlackLivesMatter. We witnessed evidence of endless possibilities for peace on Earth as the U. S. President found faith and favor enough to make business as usual a practice of the past. HASHTAG #MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is the shortest distance between a divisive past and an inclusive vision of America’s Future.  The question is how much do we want peace, justice and liberty, and how much are we willing to pay to secure it Tweet us @YouthUSA, Like us on Facebook.com/YouthAchieversUSA or call in during our live show 657-383-1405 Saturday, 12 noon eastern, 11 am central, 9 am on the West Coast. 

Last week we called on friends to include 2.1 billion Christians to touch and agree that Black Lives Matter. From our 2014 Christmas narrative we learned that lynching was a widely acknowledged practice in the United States until the middle of the 20th century.  The U.S. Senate resolved to apologize for its own failure to enact anti-lynching legislation.  As Ebenezer Scrooge might observe, that should be behind us as our ghost of Christmas past.  For demonstrators taking to the streets protesting, proclaiming and declaring equal justice, it’s a new season!  The injustice is called by another name, but the results are still the same.  The numbers add up to an increase in dead folk and an ever-widening Gulf of Mistrust. The President’s assessment of events on the streets and in the courtroom accurately portrait the problem America faces this week of Christmas present.  You can ask any of 2.1 billion Christians on earth about the jacked up arrest, trials and lynching of Jesus the Christ 2000 years ago, to get

By Christmas Day 2014, every living president and every public official will need to recommit to a common American value.   A simple statement, #BlackLivesMatter promotes a new season of healing not unlike that of 2000 years ago.  The national motto, IN GOD WE TRUST is the best evidence that trust exists as an American value.  But, we’ll need to weave that trust into a cloak of protection around our most vulnerable citizens. 2.1 billion Christian jurists can build a faith-based case for why Black Lives Matter from the original Christmas story.  In the second chapter of Matthew around the 15th verse, we see the fulfillment of prophesy, a vision of the future coming into being.   -- I have called my Son from Egypt -- the old testament prophet foretold. Bishop John R. Bryant, SENIOR BISHOP of the AME CHURCH is one of 2.1 billion Christians on earth today.  He believes that BLACK LIVES MATTER.  Bryant has called on friends and kin of the CHRISTIAN FAITH to designate the 2ND SUNDAY OF DECEMBER as "BLACK LIFE MAT

Last week we took an advance look at your inheritance.  It seems that far too many Americans have accepted the status of being minority--less than equal.  It’s a dangerous position to put yourself in and, for your children, it’s proven to be life-threatening. We dropped by historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta for some insights on American Civil Rights after Ferguson, Missouri, after Sanford, Florida, Cleveland, Oakland, Chicago and countless American communities where people of color have been valued as less than equal. There’s a conversation underway, and it goes way beyond the sound-bites you rely on for your daily feeding.  We’ll want to prepare for the conversation, and we’ll want that conversation to result in substantive change where you live, learn, work and worship.  So this week, your American Mentors are calling on current and future economic beneficiaries to step up as economic leaders in America’s Transformation. Tweet us @YouthUSA.  Like us at Facebook.com/YouthAchieversUSA or call in d

The Proverbs teach, when a good man dies, he leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren; but when a sinner dies, his wealth is stored up for the godly.  Exactly how might that proverb apply to a generation of historically disadvantaged Americans in line to inherit something of value.  This week your American Mentors are responding to events in Ferguson, Missouri that call for equal treatment under the laws of the land.  Justice, for far too many historically disadvantaged Americans, represents an unattainable goal. But what about economic security within a context of national security?  Might we address the issue of systemic failure in the Micheal Brown, the Jordan Davis, the Trayvon Martinin in a common quest for national security?  We'll be talking about the process for becoming a YouthUSA economic beneficiary, the responsibilities that come with inheriting wealth, and an inclusive vision for the future through partnership with Operation Hope. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Paci

Last week we started some asset mapping of brick and mortar in America’s birthplace.  We’ve been looking for ways to sustain community building efforts and reverse what the president termed, a gulf of mistrust.  W shared a timeline to economic inclusion and talked about ideas to empower, invest in and engage economically disadvantaged Americans as bankers.  Getting ready means learning some basics about protecting your money and financial information. It will be helpful to know the types of accounts available and we’ll need to look at 21st Century tools and techniques for protecting critical information about you.  Join us for an introduction to banking and this episode on How Your Bank Must Work. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors chart a course toward economic inclusion.    

Last week we started some asset mapping of brick and mortar in America’s birthplace.  We’ve been looking for ways to sustain community building efforts and reverse what the president termed, a “gulf of mistrust.”  Whether or not you agree, bridging that gulf of mistrust and ENGAGING historically disadvantaged Americans is going to take a little more money reinvested where you live, learn, work and worship. This week, your American Mentors are in Philadelphia hoping to re-point us to some goals and achievements for ONE NATION UNDER GOD.  One of those goals is to ensure ALL youth are safe from violent crime.  It is coincidentally, one of the goals of the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative.  We’ll be taking a look from an economic security lens, so fasten your seatbelt as we embark on a TIMELINE TOECONOMIC INCLUSION. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific on YouthUSA Radio  

Last week we took a look at Wealth Transfer from Melchizedek to Malachi to Jesus to Your Street.  We’ve been looking for ways to sustain community building efforts and reverse what the president termed, a “gulf of mistrust.”  Many of the best practices available to support Positive Youth Development represent the bricks needed for sustainable futures.  Your American Mentors are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania getting some insight on the mortar it's going to take to hold those bricks together.  If you are getting the metaphor, it’s going to take Re-Pointing of vital assets to build and sustain that My Brother’s Keeper Community. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors chart a course from being Minority to becoming the Majority.  

In our last episode, we looked in on America’s Transformation from a nation of folks in debt to a nation of cheerful givers.  We’ve been looking for ways to sustain community building efforts and reverse what the president termed, a gulf of mistrust.  Whether or not you agree, bridging that gulf of mistrust and ENGAGING historically disadvantaged Americans is going to take a little more money reinvested where you live, learn, work and worship. ARE YOU REALLY READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO RECEIVE MORE MONEY?   From Where Wealth Commeth is our topic for discussion as we explore Wealth Transfer, from Melchizedek to Malachi to Jesus. You can tweet us @YouthUSA, Like us on Facebook.com/YouthAchieversUSA or call in during our live show 657-383-1405 Saturday, 12 noon eastern, 11 am central, 9 am on the West Coast. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors chart a course from being Minority to becoming the Majority.  

This week we’re calling on a few good friends to take up the President’s challenge to be My Brother’s Keeper.  We’ve been looking for ways to sustain community building efforts and reverse what the president termed, a “gulf of mistrust.”  ARE YOU READY? That’s the question for political candidates and emerging leaders as voters move toward the polls and closer to America’s Transformation. You can tweet us @YouthUSA, Like us on Facebook.com/YouthAchieversUSA or call in during our live show 657-383-1405 Saturday, 12 noon eastern, 11 am central, 9 am on the West Coast.  

You heard that Attorney General Eric Holder plans to resign, and you’ve been wondering about the president’s choice on Holder’s successor.  You also heard from members of congress and candidates for office that elections in the U.S. are just around the corner.  And then there’s the news of security threats in the Middle East, 3000 lives claimed by an Ebola crisis in West Africa and recurrent threats to historically disadvantaged lives in the American homeland. This week the one brother we hoped could help bridge a gulf of mistrust is dealing with trust issues in his own house. First, you should know that threatening the President of the United States is a class D felony under United States Code Title 18, Section 871. Such a threat consists of knowingly and willfully mailing or otherwise making "any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States. Five to ten is the time for doing the crime that has a maximum fine of $250,000.  JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 n

In the news this week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announces his resignation. In Washington, DC, the Congressional Black Caucus has been gathering historically disadvantaged Americans and prospective investors in America’s future for its Annual Legislative Conference.  For more than 40 years, the CBC has served as an empowered voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress.  The caucus aims to ensure that everyone in the United States has an opportunity to achieve their version of the American Dream. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors explore the fabric of 21st Century global community.  

Some folks play professional sports, others play the lottery, or build financial legacies by hook, crook, or waging war.  Too many folks miss the meaning of true wealth and never fully enjoy the benefits of building a financial legacy.   You see, it’s not what you gather that makes you rich.  It’s what you scatter.  To be wise is as good as being rich; in fact, it’s better. You can get anything by either wisdom or money, but being wise has many advantages.  What are your rights and responsibilities? JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors chart Your Financial Legacy.  

President Obama has talked at length about his administration’s plans to counter terrorism.  For some reason, some media folks continue to refer to the terrorist group as ISIS, even after the president’s reference to ISIL.  A significant difference between ISIS and ISIL can be gleaned from your understanding of geographical influences on world history, particularly from an historically disadvantaged point of view.  If the S in ISIS stands for Syria, is it logical that the L in ISIL would define the threat beyond Syria's border?  A term Levantine that originally referred to European residents of the eastern Mediterranean region, later came to refer to regional native and minority groups.   Tune in for insights on  the majority and the minority. JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors gear up for Legislative Weekend with the Congressional Black Caucus.  

Last week your American Mentors checked in on friends at the Children’s Defense Fund to learn of a major shift for the U.S. economy.  We learned that children of color will represent the majority of the U.S. population by the year 2019. We asked ourselves, and now we ask you, what changes, if any, can be expected in the policies, programs and investments that impact America’s Future.  For that matter, what changes in our actions, attitudes and habits will be needed in becoming that MORE PERFECT UNION?  If the demographics from Ferguson, Missouri, Sanford, Florida, Chicago and other high-threat communities are any indicator, one thing that needs to change is the value we place on America’s children and an historic threat to their young lives.  What are your rights and responsibilities? JOIN US!  Saturday, 12 noon Eastern, 11 am Central, 9 am Pacific as your American Mentors chart a course from being Minority to becoming the Majority.  

ECONOMIC SECURITY is as important a part of our national security as military policy.  NATIONAL SECURITY can be described as a capacity to control domestic and foreign conditions that a given community believes necessary to enjoy its own self-determination or autonomy, prosperity and wellbeing.  ECONOMIC SECURITY or financial security is the condition of having stable income or other resources to support a standard of living now and in the foreseeable future.  Some characteristics of economic security might include continued solvency, predictability of a person’s future cash flow, employment or job security.  At YouthUSA, economic security means increasing assets and reducing liabilities where we live, learn, work and worship.  YouthUSA economic security programs qualify American youth as assets and not liabilities in their communities.  in doing so, we reduce historic threats to young American lives, build trust in American communities, and ensure security for our homeland. Join us 12 noon eastern, 11 am ce