The Grooming Alchemist was started to create a community where young minority men could seek inspiration.
The Problem
35%
African-Americans made up about 35 percent of all children raised in the bottom 1 percent of the income distribution
1%
African-Americans made up less than 1 percent of the children at the very top
80%
80 percent of all special education students being Black or Hispanic males
2/3
Black boys receive two-thirds of all school suspensions nationwide - all demographics and both genders considered.
Who Featured Us
Meet the Founder- Charlie McCoy Oyekwe
The Grooming Alchemist provides mentor-ship and support for at-risk youth in New York, starting with District 9 in the South Bronx. Led by Charlie, the foundation exists to uplift and enrich the lives of at-risk kids with mental and emotional support and provide life-building opportunities. “We provide a holistic approach to solving the lack of focus on the root causes of being an at-risk youth,” says Charlie. The foundation helps young men deal with the complex and stressful life experiences with the justice system, foster care, and others like homelessness. Charlie also executive produces The Grooming Alchemist You Tube channel, and has documented his Alchemist inspired hero's journey in the book Alchemist Apostate Jehovah's Witness Elder.
Our Solution
South Bronx's District 9 is the most economically underserved borough in New York City. Our work currently takes place ONLY in The New Venture School I.S 219.
The potential scope of our work in District 9 includes 25 public middle schools serving 11,605 students in New York City's Geographic District # 9 School District. This district's average intermediate testing ranking is 2/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in New York.
The Grooming Alchemists empowers young minority males to
- Create a lifestyle that benefits themselves and their goals.
- Work on being the best versions of themselves and then showing up as that version.
- Have a financial, fitness, grooming, and skincare routines as priorities in their lives.
- Rise and grind and work hard, play hard.
Our Impact
The Grooming Alchemist’s vision for under served youth is comprised of the four pillars below:
Promote diversity through cultural expression, dialogue, and understanding.
Promote and display works that express the African American Experience.
Increase at-risk youth’s exposure to career, life, and entertainment opportunities.
Create a platform for at-risk youth to utilize that will support the promotion of self-actualization, self-esteem, personal development, and the generation of positive life outcomes.
The Grooming Lounge by Artisan Barber
Who We've Worked With
