Carvel Munroe is an emerging voice of hope, educating and empowering the now generation to live above the moral lows and emerge as candidates for lasting success. He is Founder of the High-Risk Prevention Network and Director of the U.S. Dream Academy Learning Center in Orlando. Munroe also advocates for youth ministers to break spiritual and social bondage. Winner of the Mack Davis Award in 2000 for outstanding service and featured in the Harvard University Gazette, the dedicated husband and father of three sons resides in Central Florida where he continues to be an instrument of transformation for at-risk individuals and communities.
Growing up in central Orlando, Nakaissia Reed found interest in giving back to the community she calls home by helping children that may have had a similar experience as hers. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Reed studied Psychology and Behavioral Healthcare. As an undergraduate, she chose to research the role of youth advocates and conducted a focus group seeking to inform the community on the importance of youth advocacy. She received a B.A. in psychology and minored in Behavioral Healthcare focusing on applied behavior analysis. Before working with U.S. Dream Academy, Reed worked at Pasco Juvenile Detention Center where she gained insight into the juvenile justice system, studied restorative justice, and assessed the community that at-risk children endure.
Our DreamTeens recently attended a workforce development event at Jones High School in Orlando. At the start of this academic year, the Dream Academy piloted a workforce development project in funded by USA Fund to compliment the college readiness focus of our programming.
Our goal is to prepare DreamTeens to secure meaningful summer employment that links to their career and college choices through training and internships. In partnership with SkillSmart’s customized online platform, we will help DreamTeens identify and build core employment skills to increase their marketability.
Our mentors work hard on behalf of our DreamKids – and deserve to play hard, as well. Recently, mentors mixed business with pleasure in an outing to a local restaurant in Orlando. Over dinner, the mentors first addressed issues of business. Center staff led discussions concerning our Center’s vision as well as intricacies concerning child trauma and effective tools for crisis response.
Once business was out of the way, mentors could play. Mentors relaxed and were able to bond with each other and Center staff, and be acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts. Thank you, Mentors! Keep up the good work!
The Dream Academy Learning Center in Orlando opened its doors at Memorial Middle School in 2007. The multiracial student body at Memorial Middle School comes from predominantly low socio-economic family backgrounds. The Center serves 60 children with multiple risk factors in and around the Rio Grande Community. The center also serves the 4th and 5th grade students of neighboring Catalina Elementary School.
The Dream Academy staff maintains a strong relationship with the school, and is viewed as a stellar academic enrichment program by the principal, guidance counselors, and many teachers. One unique asset of the program is Kids Court, a peer mediation activity that empowers students to take control of their actions and consequences.
American Heart Association
AMP Group
Edible Education Experience
Florida Hospital
Florida Hospital Children – Mission FIT
Florida Hospital Church
Fun Spot
Kroger Pharmaceuticals
Men of Integrity – UCF
New Covenant Christian Center
New Day Christian Center
Pre Physician Associates
Public Allies
SkillSmart
Strada Education Network
Stuph Clothing
UCF
Valencia College
CSCOPE 20/20
Girl Scouts of Citrus Council
Kingdom Church
National Society of Black Engineers at University of Central Florida
Orange County Public Schools
University of Central Florida - Leads Scholar Program
