College Tribe is a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization founded in 2007 by four Black fathers. The men were bonded by their determination to graduate from high school and attend  college despite their “at risk” childhoods. College Tribe’s  mission  is to cultivate the character, scholarship and social competence of third to eighth grade boys in underserved communities in Washington DC. College Tribe initially focused on creating mentor relationships between Black men and high school and elementary school youth in order to demonstrate pathways to college and success in life. Recognizing the need to create a culture of academic achievement at an earlier age, College Tribe adjusted its target population to elementary and middle school boys in 2009. Based in part on the expertise of our mentors and the interests of the boys, College Tribe piloted a program to offer after- school STEM classes in the 2010-2011 academic year. We started with robotics and added video game design the next school year. After finishing our pilot program in 2012, we saw a powerful symbiotic relationship between STEM and mentoring and decided to further refine our focus: Black men mentoring black boys and creating STEM leaders.

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In  the 2016-2017 academic year, College Tribe expanded STEM courses  to include arts education, and transitioned from STEM to STEAM curricula. This addition was in response to our boys’ expressed interest, and the Board recognizing that by adding the arts we create the opportunity for greater introspection by the boys. During the last academic year, the boys completed a Graphic Design, and Animation course, and last summer, the boys created a mural. Next year we are planning a course on Comic Book creation and Video Production. 
 

In 2018 we began our latest phase. We have moved from a STEM organization to a STEAM organization. The A being for Arts