PROGRAMS

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Be a voice and work collaboratively in our community. We desire meaningful participation of African Americans in the local economy. You have an opportunity to help promote economic strategies that address institutional and structural barriers. Such barriers impede our ability to accumulate and transfer wealth from generation to generation.

Press Releases:

Community Clean Up Consortium (C3) - April 24, 2025

Revitalizing Portland’s neighborhoods through community pride, environmental care, and Black-led economic opportunity.

YOUTH MENTORING

Volunteer to be a mentor or provide program support for our Dream Bigger mentoring initiatives during the Fall & Spring, or our Summer Dreaming summer program. The COBM’s mentoring program assists young African-American males and other boys develop into educated, contributing members of our community. It is designed to mold youth into leaders through responsible personal conduct, educational achievement and cultural enrichment. This is done through group coaching and community activities.

Currently, at Harriet Tubman Middle School, Ockley Green Middle School, Astor School (K-8), and Faubion (K-8) in Portland, this community resource provides mentoring to African-American boys as well as other boys in each of these four schools, once each week. Join us and make a difference in our next generation of leaders.

EDUCATION

Help the COBM be a voice for African American students and their families as we seek to:

1) Create an education environment that will inspire students to reach their highest level of achievement.

 2) Drive the school system to evolve into an institution that values all students.

 3) Provide guidance to students that will lead them to achieve a level of excellence in their education and be empowered to make a positive impact in their community.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Assist us in raising awareness and providing health information to our community. We hope to inspire behavior changes that will result in a healthier lifestyle for African Americans. Volunteer at our Health and Wellness events, such as our Blood Drive,  Bike and Bite, Soul Stroll and others.

It’s YOUR time

Join us in making a difference in the lives of our youth, our community and our city.

Join the Movement

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Dream Bigger Program

For over a decade, the Coalition of Black Men’s (COBM) Dream Bigger mentoring program has annually served 75 African American/Black young men in grades 6-8th, mentoring them to create a vision for their future that shows clear connections among education, career, and lifestyle choices; providing tools and support to enhance their life skills and confidence; and building community around achieving their career goals. Research shows group mentoring programs produce positive outcomes for youth (behavioral, emotional, academic, etc.).

Group and One-on-One Mentoring
COBM provides in-school mentoring (i.e., group mentoring) for at least 15 students/school annually, meeting weekly. Each school has a full-time Professional Mentor assigned solely to it. Two additional mentors will work at each school during the school’s designated group mentoring day, resulting in a minimum 5:1 student/mentor ratio. The Professional Mentors meet individually with students for mentoring; have lunch with participating students; take students on field trips; and is available to support students and school staff when disciplinary incidents or other situations occur.

Reading Literacy
The Reading Circle, after-school reading tutoring led by a former middle school teacher and current PhD candidate, support 15-20 students among the 5 schools who are most in need of reading support based on writing samples and standard scores.

Family Engagement
The COBM connects with families individually in 1:1 meetings with students and their parents (zoom, phone calls, emails) to obtain in-depth knowledge of each student’s goals and needs. The COBM also hosts at least 2 family orientation nights as well as 3 community forums in which culturally relevant PhDs share their latest research. We also host an end-of-year vision board presentation and celebration.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Addresses a disproportionate rate of disciplinary incidents by working with school staff and Site Councils to respond when there is potential for a disciplinary incident, using anti-racist approaches and lived experiences;
Increases parental engagement through family events and supporting parent and family engagement in the student’s activities;
Increases the engagement of students in educational activities that occur before and after school hours by working with youth to identify steps to achieve their goals; having Pro Mentors support youth in signing up for those activities;
Supports transitions through middle school by providing mentoring by adults who have had similar life and school experiences and can help youth during transitions;
Supports culturally responsive pedagogy and practices by having school staff attend our community guest speaker series highlighting research pertaining to African American/Black boys; providing input at site council and school board meeting; and offering a program that uses culturally responsive pedagogy and practices;
Supports development of culturally responsive curricula by supporting continued development of curricula used in the Dream Bigger program, revisited and discussed during quarterly staff strategy meetings; and
Increases attendance of students in community college, professional certification, and four-year post-secondary institutions of education through Dream Bigger vision boards in which youth explore careers and create an actionable path toward achieving their goals, including through post-secondary education and/or training.

Summer Dreaming Program

Since 2021, our mentoring initiative includes an 8-week summer program, offering comprehensive experience focused on providing Black and other students 13 new and unique experiences within an educational and supportive environment of peers and mentors. Programming focuses on four cornerstones: Wellness and Social Emotional Learning; Outdoor Education and Exploration; Black Portland; and Business & Career Exploration.

Centered within these cornerstones, students explore parts of Portland and the Oregon coast that have not been historically accessible to the BIPOC population, especially our youth. This program fosters a safe way for students to connect and reconnect with one another during a period where Portland is experiencing a rise in shootings due to the pandemic and the dire conditions it has exacerbated in vulnerable communities. Understanding that many within our population face food insecurity and transportation needs, we will offer free food and transportation to each event.

Traditionally operating only during the school year leaves our connections with the students vulnerable during the summer. This program permits us to stay connected with the youth we serve year-round, therefore, deepening our engagement and influence in their lives while supporting the positive outcomes we seek like increases in school attendance and GPA’s as well as decreases in disciplinary actions. With our 12 passenger van, we transport students to events during the summer and later use it during the school year.

Each week starts with a virtual education delivered with culturally specific facilitation. Due to the impact of Comprehensive Distance Learning, the need for Wellness & Social Emotional Learning activities remains high. Selected activities give students the tools both to identify their triggers and to regulate their emotions. Outdoor Education expose youth from historically underserved communities to many green spaces in Oregon, allowing for de-stigmatization and re-claiming of those spaces that will lead to new opportunities. Activities centered on Black Portland aim to show the detailed history of the Black community in Portland, taking a deep dive on community programs, black businesses and our connections to our community. The week of Business & Career Exploration, consist of seeing the workings of businesses both large and small and different industries, exposing students to Black men and women working across Portland--whether entrepreneurs or employees.