Genesis and light center mission (g & l) is to assist disadvantaged youth in developing positive self-esteem and moral values, while encouraging academic excellence

G & LS goals are to empower disadvantaged youth in grades k-12 by promoting: academic excellence, substance-free lifestyles, and provide participants with an alternative to youth crime. Since 1992, genesis and light center has continued to enhance, expand, and develop services while creating new innovative programs to assist under achieving low income youth and their families. Genesis and light has provided supplemental educational services to students in metro jackson area for over twenty years. Genesis and light provide opportunities to low achieving disadvantaged students who attend low-performing schools, offering them academic enrichment activities, including tutoring, mentoring, counseling, educational assistance, arts and crafts, drama and dance, and extracurricular/enrichment activities. Qualified staff members assist students in meeting state and local achievement/content standards in core academic subjects, such as reading, language arts, and mathematics. These service activities not only focus on the individual child but also develop activities, provides access to technology to those who do not have a computer, printer or FAX, offer workshops and training session to improve the economic well-being of economically disadvantaged families. The genesis and light center educational assistance mentoring (gleam) project aligns with the corporation for national & community service (cncs) education focus area. Over one hundred economically disadvantaged youth are expected to benefit. We are requesting nine vista members. Vistas will perform activities such as recruiting and training volunteers; coordinating services for low income at-risk youth; updating and enhancing programmatic systems and establishing fundraising events to help fund project activities. Vista members will also assist our agency in organizing a new site in south jackson which will providing services to disadvantaged youth in south jackson.