Our Next Generation, Inc. is a private non-profit organization in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA that is dedicated to improving the lives of urban children. It brings together adult volunteers from all over Milwaukee and inner-city children from first grade through high school on a one-to-one basis. They do homework, read, run special events and, above all, form lasting relationships. This helps the child look beyond his immediate environment to come to see the possibilities life has to offer. It helps the volunteers understand first hand the problems urban families face. It is a rich experience indeed!

Your comments are most welcome.

Ms Maggie Broeren

Executive Director

Our Next Generation, Inc

804 East Juneau Avenue

Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA

414 291-2883 Ext 237

Our Next Generation, Inc. is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation governed by a board of thirty directors drawn from the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Our Next Generation, Inc.(ONG) serves foremost the children from our neighborhood(s). Our programs are primarily one-on-one with a caring, trained adult, and are sharply focused on improving educational outcomes and life skills for each young person. In addition Our Next Generation, Inc. endeavors to build an effective, collaborative team of parents and families of the children served, ONG volunteers and ONG staff to shape our programs. In turn, our efforts provide support for parents and families, staff and volunteers to enhance their parenting, professional and mentoring skills.

Our activities serve all races and creeds, are rooted in spiritual and moral beliefs and are enriched by our collaboration with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and Community Center of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Our Neighborhood

• Eight block radius around 35th Stree and Lisbon Avenue - the heart of Milwaukee's near North side

Our Children

• 8,000 children in the area are under the age of 18.
• 22% of the population is under six years old.
• High school graduation rate is below the Milwaukee Public School average.

Other Statistics

• Homicide rate is the highest in the state.
• Crime rate is 600% higher than the rest of Milwaukee.
• The unemployment rate is 22%.
• 65% of the households are headed by single mothers

Our Partners

• The Gathering
• Bread & Books
• Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development
• Milwaukee Public Schools

Our Next Generation volunteers serve over 100 children on a regular basis and annually give more than 4000 hours of their time.

Programs During the School Year

• Homework Club for 6-17 year olds - 80 students with 100 tutors
• Kids Club for twelve 3-5 year olds - School Readiness program
• Hoops for twelve youths - supervised basketball program
• Rec Club for twelve youths - non-competitive team sports
• Monthly educational field trips

Programs During the Summer

• Jubilee Day Camp - 250 students; twelve part-time staff
• "Camp Cowabunga" for twelve Kids Club students
• World of Learning Summer School for 60 Homework Club students
• Camp Webb camperships are provided every summer

Needs

How You Can Help

• Tutor a child
• Read books with kids
• Help with special field trips
• Provide office support
• Bake cookies for homework club
• Help write thank you notes

Things We Need

School Supplies
Backpacks
Crayons
Markers
Folders
Paper
Children's Games
Monoply
Checkers
Yahtzee
Uno
Basket balls

St. Andrew's church is an Episcopal church located in the heart of Milwaukee's inner city. Its ministry is focused on the unique needs of its parishioners, who tend to be neighbors who live in one of the poorest and most segregated areas of Milwaukee. Many of the programs the church has installed are oriented around children. These include, among others, the Gathering, which serves hot meals to area children and the homeless and Jubilee Camp, which is a summer day camp for children. In 1992 the activities at St. Andrews attracted the attention of Charlie Drake, an engineer and a member of Christ Church in suburban Whitefish Bay.

Charlie and other members of St. Andrew's realized that many of the children were failing to develop the basic skills they needed to succeed in school and life thereafter. The parish decided to create a tutoring program, and Charlie and some of his fellow parishioners at Christ Church volunteered to come down to St. Andrews twice a week to help the kids with their homework. From this idea Our Next Generation was born. All have found the experience to be rewarding, not only just because the kids do better in school, but also because of the relationships that the tutors formed with the children over time that really mean something to both.

In the half dozen years that the programs have existed they have served over a thousand children in twelve grades. The organization was separated from St. Andrew's to facilitate funding efforts, but the organization remains closely associated with St. Andrew's in that it leases space from the parish to house the programs. It now has a full-time professional director, education coordinator and a part-time mentoring coordinator.

Where does your funding come from?

Church groups, foundations, service clubs, individual donors and corporations.

Isn't the corner of 35th Street and Lisbon Avenue in a dangerous neighborhood?

Anyone who reads a newspaper knows that inner cities have more problems than, say, suburban communities, but a lot of good decent men, women and children live there and go about their daily business. St. Andrew's Church and Community Center is a new, safe, and secure facility. We know our neighbors and the location is considered a "safe sanctuary" for those who come there. The people and facility are very user-friendly, especially to guests. For those who do not frequently drive through or near the central city of Milwaukee, the neighborhood may appear threatening, but violent crime has not been an issue for us.

Where do you get your volunteers?

Our volunteers come from churches, corporations, service groups and largely through the word-of-mouth approach between our current group of volunteers. We visit at least two groups per month to recruit volunteers.

How are students recruited?

The students come as their friends and neighbors suggest it. Usually, our families who are currently involved recommend Our Next Generation programs. We are closely connected to our neighborhood organization, Lisbon Avenue Neighborhood Development and the nearby churches so they also refer students to us.

What is the relationship between St. Andrew's and Our Next Generation?

Our Next Generation is a separate 501(c)(3) corporation which grew out of the church community of St. Andrew's. We are interdependent and separate entities. We share the church and community center building space but have unique and complementary missions. We share the community spirit amidst our respective programs.

How can I contribute to Our Next Generation?

Our Next Generation
804 E. Juneau Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA

Our Successes

• Ninth grader accepted for scholarship or college-bound programs.
• All eligible students received part-time jobs during the summer of 1996.
• Homework Club student named "Best Citizen" by 37th Street School.

• Some Letters from Mothers
• Some Letters from Students
• Some Letters from Volunteers

Credits:

Photo and logo scans courtesy of Kinko's.

Web page design and implementation courtesy of Harold Montgomery & Associates, Milwaukee WI 53210 USA. For more information please write us at our e-mail address.

Last update: November 5, 1997