Reach Society was conceived by Donald Palmer, Rob Neil OBE and Dwain Neil OBE who discussed their concerns about the government’s decision to end the grant funding of the national REACH role model programme after three years. Each of them had been involved with the programme and saw its positive impact on Black boys and young Black men; and so they knew that something needed to be done to maintain this work that was transforming young lives.
Once they had conceived a model for Reach Society they lead a series of conversations with serving role models in order to identify other professional Black men who felt the same way; to test whether they would choose to continue to help boys and young men from their cultural backgrounds; and test whether they could work with the Reach Society model. In this way a movement of Black professional men choosing to help boys and young men was initiated.
OUR SERVICES
The Reach Society services are tailored to be easy to understand by boys in their primary, secondary and tertiary stages of their personal development; and by young men in the process of entering adult life
At Reach Society we believe that Black boys and young Black men are born with unlimited potential. And that they, like all young people, need to be encouraged, motivated and inspired to discover their potential by taking the actions early that will lead to the formation of habits that are essential for the development of robust characters.
In Reach Society we fully understand the cultural, social and emotional factors that are ever present in the community and how they impact Black boys and young Black men. We also understand the development cycle of boys as they mature into men. Reach Society role models tend to be fathers who have successfully guided their children into adulthood; or they are actively doing so. Without exception, they will be trained in the unique EDILES methodology for inspiring boys and young men to take responsibility for their development.
So if your ambition is to help the boys or young men in your care to become viable members of the community and wider society, then Reach Society could have the right service and trained role models who could help you to achieve your objective.
VISION
Our vision is to ensure that every Black boy and young Black man becomes aware of the Reach Society, and is able to make a positive connection with one or more of its role models of Black professional men.
MOTTO
The Reach Society motto is “building connections.”
This motto captures the spirit of the work that the Black professional men have chosen to undertake. It is our belief that only through the building of viable connections that our boys and young men will discover and learn what is required to succeed in adult life.
The Black community is rich in male pioneers and achievers; and the Reach Society ambition is to make it easy for our boys and young men to see them, to hear from them, to touch them and to be inspired by them; and in so doing Reach Society will nurture and increase their appetite and drive for self-development and achievement from an early age.
CORE PURPOSE
The core purpose of the Reach Society is to encourage, motivate and inspire our boys and young men to own the development of their potential and make viable transitions into adult life.
CORE PRINCIPLES
The Reach Society core principles are described in the four Cs – Clarity of focus; Communication; Connection; and Control. The core principles provide a high level indication of standards at the heart of the work that the Black professional men have chosen to undertake.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Reach Society management team of seven professionals is responsible for the strategic framework that guides the work done through the three distinct programmes around networking, representation and foundation building – each of which is lead by a director.
The Reach Society networking programme is designed around a set of features that include building amity between Black professional men; exercising thought leadership on the corrosive issues that impact Black boys and young Black men; and contributing to the movement of Black professional men who are choosing to interact positively with boys and young men from their cultural backgrounds.
The Reach Society representation programme is designed around a set of features that include training of Black professional men in the unique EDILES methodology for sharing our core message; showcasing the impact of trained Reach Society role models; and recognising the work of local mentoring groups, parents and carers.
FOUNDATION PROGRAMME
The Reach Society foundation programme is designed around a set of features that include the use of a set of services for generating income by independent effort; a diverse range of fundraising activities involving Black professional men, their families and friends; building long term relationships through a comprehensive programme that recognises significant contributors; and the creation of a Reach Society Foundation that will be the principle entity for establishing a financially robust and sustainable social enterprise.