Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Newton.
Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a young child, the thought ever crossed my mind that my suffering and pain would be turned into purpose. Being a survivor of exploitation and sexual abuse, reams of my innocence were taken from me by the age of nine. It is only by God’s redeeming love, consistent pursuit, and my faith in Him is why I am here today. What will become of us if we don’t guide, teach, and lead the way for our younger generation? As I look at my two-year-old daughter, I ask myself this question every day. I look at her with such a sense of wonder but at the same time with an enormous weight of responsibility. I know this little girl will be a reflection of the values and character qualities my husband and I will instill in her. With the current climate of our nation today, I want nothing more than to be an example of integrity, justice, and truth to my daughter and all future generations to come.
I was five years old when my father left and my whole world was turned upside down. My mom remarried a man who sexually abused me when I was 9 until I was 13 years old, and in between that time, my uncle did the same. We moved almost every year (five elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools), there was no stability, and at one point my brother, sister and I were living on our own. I learned how to cook and fend for myself by the time I was in the 4th grade. There were times I had to steal from the grocery store to eat and get by. So many moments, I wanted to attempt suicide and end my life because of the circumstances I found myself in. I didn’t want to deal with any of it but even more, I simply didn’t know how. I didn’t have the people or resources in my life that could lead me in the right direction. The only thing that kept me somewhat in tune with myself was music and dance.
I was 15 when I finally got to a school where I found some type of stability. I joined my high school’s dance team, and it is there where I found a family of people who loved, accepted and helped me through some of my hardest times. A friend of mine from my dance team kept randomly inviting me to a church called Oasis. I honestly had no intent in going but he convinced me because on Oasis Youth Night, they had it set up for youth to have dance cyphers and battles before we met in our groups. I remember walking in not knowing what to expect but feeling a sense of home. It was then where I met a woman named Nicole who embraced me and all of my brokenness. She mentored me, took the time out of her day to sit with me and hear the deepest hurts of my heart. She saw my potential and wanted nothing more than for it to be released. The time she invested into me led me down my path of healing and eventually wanting to help others to do the same. I thank God for Nicole daily!
Fast forward eight years later in 2013 at 23 years old, I got the opportunity to take over my old dance teacher’s job at my old high school and it was there The Outkast Academy was birthed. I started a non-profit to help the most vulnerable youth find their purpose by providing free dance, mentoring, academics and fitness programs, and also, a student/family financial aid program. Our goal is to combat poverty, stabilize mental health and increase graduation rate all while helping our youth become self-sustaining. I wanted to help others and give them what I so desperately needed at their age. A mentor, a friend, and sometimes a parent figure to fill in the gap and help lead them to success and belief in themselves.
We go one step further and continue to offer next level services after high school because we know how hard it can be during that 18-24 age range trying to figure out your life without little to no guidance.
I wanted this organization to be special. I didn’t want this to be something where we serve a ton of kids and then they eventually get lost back into the system. I wanted this to be a space where all kids who come into our academy are seen, heard and poured into equally, thus leading to real change in their life.
Outkast first started with one school partnership where we served about 40 to 50 kids every year but over the years, one school partnership led to 30 and an opening of our core location in South Los Angeles in 2017. We served about 25 to 35 kids at our core location every year, six days a week, Monday through Saturday. This is our students’ second home and for most, their first.
We partner with 5 to 10 schools at a time every year serving 10 to 25 kids at each school which are located in underserved areas. We provide our programs three times out of the week.
All of our instructors and leaders are previous graduates of our program who went through our extensive internship after successfully completing high school. I’ve been mentoring a few of the girls on our core leadership team since they were 15 and they just graduated college. It is amazing to see that Outkast is truly making a lasting impact that is creating a ripple effect for generations to come. Another thing that is truly special about our organization is that our instructors have directly graduated from our academy which really allows us to build upon our student/mentor relationships on a deeper level.
About 90% of our kids come in not meeting graduation requirements and year to date, 100% of them have graduated after attending our academy.
We’ve been able to provide 3,323 healthy snacks and meals from our food pantry just this year and 100% of our kids said that going through our mentoring program has helped them become effective communicators along with being able resolve conflict without violence, yelling, and fighting.
All of our kids come from a background of low-income (150% below the federal poverty level), abuse, mental instability, suicidal thoughts/attempts, self-harm, and home violence.
I am currently working as the Founder of The Outkast Academy and stepped down as CEO this year as my husband transitioned in as the Executive Director. Although I am still heavily involved, my passion and heart continue to grow for the marginalized. With my history of abuse and exploitation, my heart has yearned to bring justice in this area. I am currently partnering with another non-profit called Treasures as their Operations Director to help women find freedom from sex trafficking and exploitation. I am a true believer that pain can be turned into purpose as we seek healing. Our choice to heal is attached to other people’s freedom.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Outkast Academy?
Vision: Lighting the path of purpose for our most vulnerable youth.
Mission: Our free multidisciplinary programs work to ignite purpose in youth.
By providing our programs to inner-city youth communities, our goal is to empower them to reach their highest potential as self-sustaining, accountable, passionate, and innovative pioneers of the next generation.
We are known for our quality services and programs and our no-judgment environment.
What sets us apart is that our faculty are all successful graduates of our academy which allows us to build deeper connections and relationships with the community we serve.
We are very proud of the integrity we hold as a company. We never use sexually explicit or explicit music when teaching our dance programs. We have a belief that what we listen to truly does affect our quality of life. Our mentoring program focuses on building the leader within them. Every topic taught includes both learning and implementation so they can apply it immediately to their lives. We take our mentoring relationships very seriously because we know the weight the responsibility carries when you are entrusted with someone’s life. Our academics program provides quality tutoring, our grade goal system and achievement, college application and FAFSA help. Our fitness program focuses on overcoming superficial physical stereotypes and conditions the mind to realize there are no limitations. It’s all about being healthier! Finally, our student & family aid program assists our students and their families with their most important financial needs and those who are either homeless or on the brink of homelessness. This includes, but is not limited to, financial help for groceries, school supplies and other emergency needs.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Nothing is ever so dead that something can’t grow from it. There were many instances in my life where I thought my life was over. That the pain and hardship I experienced would forever haunt me and that I just didn’t deserve a good life. None of this is true. Something new can always grow if you nurture and care for it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.theoutkastacademy.org
- Instagram: @theoutkastacademy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theoutkastacademy
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/theoutkastacademy
