Youth Leadership Black Belt Empowers Our Youth
To Reach Their Full Potential

The Glenda Davis Deese Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in April 2015, provides Leadership Principles such as Responsibility, Making Good Choices and Saving for the future to name a few. The target audience are those who are adversely impacted socially or economically.

Alabama’s Black Belt area has been identified as having some of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the nation. High unemployment and high poverty rates are leading contributors to youth delinquency and concurrent criminal behavior. School systems fall below the national standards ranking Alabama schools as low as number 49 out of 50 states in the nation.

Youth Leadership Black Belt, staffed by professionals, offers a “hand up” not a “hand out” to the youth looking to improve their quality of life.

The mission of the Youth Leadership Black Belt is to empower economically and socially disadvantaged youth with knowledge, expertise, resources, and experiences that will provide skills and opportunities for socioeconomic advancement. Each participant will agree to become an advocate for change within their family and community through acts of service.

Our vision is to provide a community facility that will create an atmosphere for learning and advancement of socioeconomically challenged students. This facility will house programs that will foster personal growth for these students through professional training and development in order to allow the youth to be an agent of change for their families and communities and to compete successfully in a global society.