At Academy 4, the mission is simple. “We change lives through relationships. Studies show that positive relationships with adults are perhaps the single most important ingredient in promoting positive student development,” shares Tameya Robinson, Strategic Communications Director at Academy 4. “Building relationships is at the heart of everything we do because we understand the power of a relationship and how much it impacts the whole person.”
The organization’s signature program, Academy 4, utilizes adult volunteer mentors who meet one-on-one with fourth grade students in Title I schools for 90 minutes once a month. “Mentors and students spend that time talking about leadership skills, talking about their lives, and building meaningful relationships,” says Tameya. “They also do activities and play games during the hang time.”
Volunteer mentors are trained and follow a structured curriculum complete with activities and conversation prompts so that mentors do not have to plan how to fill the time. All schools and students follow the same curriculum, which focuses on positive character traits, so the topics are the same across the board.
On mentorship days, students also attend two 30-minute Spark Club meetings before meeting with their mentor. These clubs are a fun and creative outlet for students to focus on hobbies such as cooking, dancing, and music.
Once students move on to fifth grade and have completed the Academy 4 program, they can participate in Leaders 5. This next step program allows fifth graders to mentor younger students in first grade or kindergarten in a structured, adult-supervised environment. Parents also benefit from Academy 4, through the 4Families program, which provides parents with the opportunity to participate in a six-week program to equip them with parenting resources that not only helps their students, but the community in general.
One common question is why the organization focuses on students in the fourth grade. “We noticed through research that fourth grade is the perfect time to catch children's attention, help them mold and shape themselves into leaders, and help them make a connection between how they see themselves as fourth graders and the leadership skills they can build on,” explains Tameya. “Fourth graders are still receptive to the impact of positive adults and in fourth grade, their thinking goes from concrete to abstract so they can finally understand a concept like leadership. They are also becoming more individualistic, no longer just adopting behavioral norms of their parents and teachers but really starting to become who they want to be. The ages of nine and ten are also when the students’ ethics, values, and morals are really being shaped.”
Students, and in turn the schools and greater community, experience a wide range of benefits from participating in the Academy 4 programs. “Measurable impacts on students include academic motivation, social and emotional skill development, responsibility, and reduced high-risk behavior,” says Tameya. “The schools that we serve are Title I schools, meaning that many of the students face disadvantages and challenges in everyday life. By providing them with a one-on-one positive adult relationship, we see improvement in a greater sense of self-worth, better school attendance, a decline in disciplinary action, and improved classroom behavior.”
Having an adult mentor also points the students to positive adult influences in the community and helps them realize that they too can be a positive influence on someone else.
Because of the support of donors and volunteers, during the 2025-2026 school year, Academy 4 is working with 60 schools and impacting the lives of over 13,000 students. “The work we do at Academy 4 goes beyond what we do with the students,” shares Tameya. “This full-circle program starts with the students but builds relationships with parents and families as well, which ultimately impacts the community.”
For more information on Academy 4 programs and to learn how to support the organization through donating, becoming a mentor, or serving in the office, visit academy4.org. Also follow Academy 4 on Facebook and Instagram to see highlights from various programs.