Community of Mentors & Role Models
Our Story
During February 2019, a small group of young passionate students from different colleges and universities within Washington State came together to discuss different challenges that students of color are constantly facing in a different spectrum of their lives, particularly their academics.
After a few meetings, these young students were able to identify many issues which led them to conclude that just having weekly meetings was not going to be enough to respond to the needs of their fellow students. Among the problematics, we realized there was a poor retention rate in schools, lack of guidance, and lack of proper integration for new students from different walks of life to permit successful completion of their academic agenda.
Many challenges in life are part of the reason for these problems. Therefore, the Afropedia board decided that no one would better understand the youths’ needs than the youth themselves.
It was based on these problems that this group of young professionals thought it was a good idea to come up with an idea to create an official platform to finally respond to their own needs. This group started by creating a board in charge of starting a non-profit organization. The idea was to start an entity entirely youth-led that will function as an encyclopedia full of resources to help our fellow students be successful throughout their educational journey through various programs included but not limited to mentorship, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and personal development.
From the idea of combining the concepts of both youth and encyclopedia, the name Afropedia was then born. Fast forward to May of 2019, the board was able to register Afropedia as an official non-profit organization within the State Of Washington.
We are proud to be the youth that is actively participating in matters that deal directly with our communities and encourage our fellow youth to participate in their civic duties. Therefore, we deeply appreciate and welcome your collaboration.
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Who We Are
Like everywhere else, the black community in Washington is facing many issues that are seriously hurting us. The cruel lack of solidarity associated with a restricted access to high-equality education, mentorship, entrepreneurship supports is keeping our community down.
It is in this context that a group of highly motivated students from different colleges and universities within the State of Washington decided to join forces to create an active and resourceful networking platform where our young men and women will be able to easily access the human, capital, and material resources they want or need to be become successful.
Afropedia could be defined as a human encyclopedia connecting pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as young professional and business mentors, businesses and organizations from different backgrounds that genuinely care about our community and are willing to support us.
Afropedia is an Afrocentric organization that highly promotes inclusion. We respect everyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, and sexual orientation.
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
— written by a wise African person
What We Do
Afropedia takes pride in engaging and empowering college youths through the following:
Connecting students with professional mentors as well as community organizations,
Hosting monthly events on education, personal health, culture, civic engagement and entrepreneurship,
Partnering with local black-owned businesses on each of our projects,
Actively being involved in volunteering activities within the Puget Sound Area,
Encouraging youth to partake in civic duties by coming up with educational events on the importance of participating in civic duties such as Census, election process and voter registration,
Organizing cultural events to highlight the beauty of the African culture,
Creating a resourceful learning platform for children by hosting sessions of storytelling and promoting cultural awareness within African descent families.
Our Vision
Afropedia thrives to create a human encyclopedia in the State of Washington where African descents can easily access valuable resources to enhance and maximize their personal and professional opportunities.
Our Mission
To promote personal and professional development of amongst the youths through mentorship and role modeling in education, personal health, culture, civic engagement and entrepreneurship programs.