The Community-Based Program is offered for teenage youth in the Tampa Bay area to have the opportunity to share their individual hopes and fears in a safe environment. Through structured activities, the youth learn from their mentors, their peers, and themselves. They are given the tools to build their intellectual, emotional, and relational capacity and construct an identity based on respect, accountability, and responsibility so they can embark on the path to manhood unfettered.

According to a study completed by the National Dropout Prevention Center in collaboration with Clemson University, “at-risk youth are at greater risk for not completing school due to lack of bonding with school, community, and family (Hammond, Linton, Smith & Drew, 2007).” A child is arrested every 20 seconds, every 11 seconds a high school student drops out of high school, and every minute a child is born to a teen mother. Furthermore, 1 in 15 teenagers ages 16 to 19 is a high school dropout. (Children’s Defense Fund, 2012)

Gentlemen’s Quest of Tampa Inc. recognizes that multiple risk factors across several domains should be addressed wherever possible to increase the likelihood that the program will produce positive results. As a result, our program endeavors to foster weekly experiences that result in enhanced relationships, increased school performance, strengthened family connections, and positive contributions to society.