Typical Inner-City Conditions & IHAD Results

[johnkarls]

When I was a sponsor of an “I Have A Dream”® program and the volunteer national treasurer of the “I Have A Dream”® Foundation in the 1990’s (please see “Background Context for John Karls’ essays), the following was typical:

Virtually all 180 “I Have A Dream”® programs in 50 American cities reported the inner-city demographics in which their projects were located =

99% of households headed by a single adult!!!

90% of total households headed by a single adult who is/was a drug addict!!!

75-80% of total households headed by a single-adult addict who turned over any receipts (welfare, etc.) to the pusher, so the kids had to steal just in order to eat!!!

Single-digit HS graduation rates!!!

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The typical results of IHAD programs =

65% - 70% (vs. single digits) rates for HS graduation + college entrance!!!

The results are even more impressive than this statistic suggests. Approximately 50% of the female Dreamers become pregnant and, as a practical matter, do not graduate from HS and proceed to college!!!

Accordingly, the success rate was 65-70 percentage points out of 75 percentage points!!!

To assist with national fund-raising, several local IHAD projects interviewed their female Dreamers who had become pregnant to ascertain what happened. Invariably, each was not motivated by financial considerations (obtaining welfare (Aid for Dependent Children) and getting an apartment of one’s own), etc. INSTEAD, EACH HAD NEVER HAD ANYONE WHO CARED ABOUT THEM AND WERE FOCUSED ON CREATING SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOVE THEM!!!

Following that discovery, several local IHAD projects were requested to interview their female Dreamers who had not become pregnant and proceeded to college, to evaluate what happened. INVARIABLY, THERE WAS SOMEONE IN THE LIFE OF EACH WHO CARED ABOUT THEM (E.G., A TEACHER, CLERGY PERSON, OR ONE OF OUR TUTORS OR MENTORS) – AND WHO MADE IT CLEAR TO THE DREAMER THAT IF SHE DIDN’T BECOME PREGNANT SHE COULD, WITH THE HELP OF THE IHAD PROGRAM, MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF HERSELF AND THAT IT WOULD “BREAK THE HEART” OF THE PERSON WHO CARED IF THE DREAMER DIDN’T DO SO!!!