Startups
Renaissance Global Liberation Academy (RGLA) is a revolutionary boarding high school that is creating that space where boys can learn freely, create daily and unite across difference towards affecting local and global change. We accomplish this through: a) an interdisciplinary, problem-posing curriculum, b) a culture of student self-discovery and expression, and c) partnering with local communities to implement innovative solutions to persistent challenges.
RGLA is currently in its launch phase and applying to grant opportunities and procuring funding streams and space. We have begun early prototyping in cities across the country, including New Orleans, Houston, and New York City. In our first prototypes, we reached out to public charter and private high schools across New Orleans to host 10 boys in a 40-minute session at each campus. The goals were to a) create an environment where boys were free to explore and defend their identities, b) identify acute problems occurring in their neighborhoods, c) use their identities and self-identified talents to solve one of those acute problems using the design-thinking framework. After the individual prototypes, we brought the boys together from across campuses to test how boys would unite across difference, this time to solve a community problem that affected them all across racial and socioeconomic backgrounds; also, tested to see how they relied on their academic and street knowledge, each other, and intuition to design a viable solution to the problem. Key findings were: boys admit they seldom-never talk about their oppressions, they feel powerful within themselves but powerless to solving community problems, and they would attend RGLA (in Houston) only if they would be able to return to NOLA to change their community. 93% of the New Orleans users agreed that RGLA is a school they would attend immediately; Houston’s positive response rate was 100% of users, and 100% of school leaders wanted a second session.
We are working to a) raise funds for operational costs, b) recruit talented members to join our start-up environment c) get in front of as many boys as possible and d) battle test our school model.
RGLA is currently in its launch phase and applying to grant opportunities and procuring funding streams and space. We have begun early prototyping in cities across the country, including New Orleans, Houston, and New York City. In our first prototypes, we reached out to public charter and private high schools across New Orleans to host 10 boys in a 40-minute session at each campus. The goals were to a) create an environment where boys were free to explore and defend their identities, b) identify acute problems occurring in their neighborhoods, c) use their identities and self-identified talents to solve one of those acute problems using the design-thinking framework. After the individual prototypes, we brought the boys together from across campuses to test how boys would unite across difference, this time to solve a community problem that affected them all across racial and socioeconomic backgrounds; also, tested to see how they relied on their academic and street knowledge, each other, and intuition to design a viable solution to the problem. Key findings were: boys admit they seldom-never talk about their oppressions, they feel powerful within themselves but powerless to solving community problems, and they would attend RGLA (in Houston) only if they would be able to return to NOLA to change their community. 93% of the New Orleans users agreed that RGLA is a school they would attend immediately; Houston’s positive response rate was 100% of users, and 100% of school leaders wanted a second session.
We are working to a) raise funds for operational costs, b) recruit talented members to join our start-up environment c) get in front of as many boys as possible and d) battle test our school model.
Overview
Phone
+1 832-799-0414