A Vision To Equip Fatherless Young Men For Life…

Shoulder To Shoulder has a vision to equip urban fatherless young men for life, helping them to become well balanced, mature men in their family and community, breaking the cycle of fatherlessness one life at a time.

STS seeks to accomplish this vision by mentoring urban fatherless young men from the 7th grade through high school graduation, providing care and guidance to their mothers, and standing as an advocate for at-risk fatherless families in the Del Paso Heights community.

By Developing Youth Every Day

Freedom Hall is our free youth development program at Martin Luther King Jr. Technology Academy and Grant High School. The program serves fatherless young men providing them with life skills training, mentoring, field trips, service-learning and other enrichment activities to develop character, promote healthy lifestyles, improve academic performance and enhance life skills. Five days a week our staff is involved with advocacy and mentoring, developing character and life-change one life at a time.

By Standing Alongside Single Moms

Care for Moms provides encouragement, parenting skills and a closer community through Mothers-Networking. This involves care and services aimed at assisting our urban fatherless young men’s’ Moms in their effort to guide and direct their families through life. We mentor their sons and provide yard work, household cleaning and minor household repairs. We also provide impromptu meetings centered on their sons to address issues that arise at home, as well as organized parent meetings.

By Creating Life Changing Alternative Experiences For Boys

Level Up is our free summer camp that provides a real, relevant and fun educational alternative to a summer spent on the streets. This five-week camp runs five days a week and sessions include teamwork, character building, math, reading, science, life skills, video and photography, and athletics. Healthy snacks and lunches are provided daily. We emphasize team building during all activities. A weekend in the mountains wraps up the summer with more team building and many fun experiences.

By Standing Alongside Educators and Community Leaders

We provide advocacy to fatherless boys during school hours through drop-in support, conflict resolution and other “in-person efforts” to address other needs that arise. STS staff meets with teachers, school officials and parents to monitor participant progress, problem-solve and develop action plans to address student issues.

By Bringing a Spirit of “Hands-On Servanthood” To The Inner City

Our “Because We Care” outreach exists to complete beautification projects at Twin Rivers’ Unified School District campuses. Annually STS teams up with volunteers from area businesses, churches, community organizations, colleges and high schools to serve alongside our fatherless young men in this special effort.