About
About Concrete Cub
Every Child Has a Story Worth Writing
At Concrete Cub, we believe every child is born with unique gifts, purpose, and potential. Yet for many young people growing up in underserved communities, limited access to educational resources, positive mentorship, and enriching experiences can make it difficult to recognize those gifts.
We exist to change that.
Concrete Cub is a mission-driven organization dedicated to improving literacy, developing leadership, and creating life-changing opportunities for underserved youth through education, mentorship, writing, and community engagement. We believe literacy is more than learning to read—it is learning to think critically, communicate confidently, and discover your own voice.
Our goal is to help young people become confident readers, thoughtful writers, compassionate leaders, and engaged members of their communities. Through meaningful relationships and hands-on experiences, we equip students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in school, in their careers, and throughout life.
MISSION
Concrete Cub exists to help Black boys and young men discover their voice, strengthen their identity, and develop the literacy, confidence, character, leadership, and life skills needed to shape their own futures.
VISION
We envision communities where every child has the opportunity to read with confidence, lead with character, and pursue a future filled with purpose. By investing in young people today, we are helping build stronger families, stronger neighborhoods, and stronger communities for generations to come.
WHY
Too many children grow up believing their circumstances define their future.
We believe something different.
We believe that when a child discovers the joy of reading, learns to express themselves through writing, receives encouragement from caring mentors, and is given opportunities to lead, their confidence grows, their dreams expand, and new possibilities begin to emerge.
Concrete Cub exists to provide those opportunities—one student, one family, and one community at a time.
WHAT WE DO?
Every program at Concrete Cub is designed to help young people grow academically, personally, and socially.
Through our programs, students have opportunities to:
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Strengthen reading comprehension and literacy skills.
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Develop writing and communication abilities.
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Build confidence through public speaking and leadership experiences.
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Learn from mentors and positive role models.
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Participate in community service and civic engagement.
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Explore careers, colleges, and new life experiences.
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Develop character, responsibility, and resilience.
Our goal isn't simply to improve grades—it's to prepare young people for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service.
VALUES
The Concrete Cub Philosophy
THE SEVEN C’s
CONSISTENCY
Show Up.
We teach that progress begins with the discipline to keep showing up—for yourself, your goals, and the people who depend on you.
CONFIDENCE
Believe.
Through preparation, practice, literacy, and experience, young people learn to trust their voices and recognize their capabilities.
CHARACTER
Know Who You Are.
Confidence must be supported by integrity, accountability, respect, empathy, discipline, and an understanding of one's values.
CONVERSATION
Use Your Voice.
We create opportunities for young people to speak, write, listen, question, disagree respectfully, tell their stories, and communicate their ideas.
CONNECTION
Build Relationships.
Meaningful conversations create relationships. We connect young people with peers, mentors, professionals, experiences, resources, and opportunities beyond what they may encounter every day.
COMMUNITY
Build Together.
Individual growth becomes more powerful when it strengthens families, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, and the people around us.
CHANGE
Create What Comes Next.
Change is the result of everything that comes before it. We encourage young people not only to imagine what could be different, but to develop the knowledge, character, relationships, and courage necessary to help make it different.