The IALAS

The Innovative Academy of Liberal Arts & Sciences (IALAS) is a non-profit organization that opens the doors of opportunity for students and families that have been historically neglected. IALAS provides 2-generation STEAM (science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts, and mental health) and economic empowerment education initiative to address the ongoing disparity between Ward 7 and its surrounding wards. Find out more about our organization at https://theialas.org

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The Problem

Wards 7& 8 have been geographically and politically isolated from STEAM education, career opportunities and wealth creation.The median wealth in the district for black residents is $38,000 compared to $138,000 for white residents in 2016. Incomes in Wards 7 and 8 are the lowest, while also being home to the largest concentration of African American families.  Some neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8 have a child poverty rate greater than 50 percent. Children living in poverty have an increased likelihood of exposure to violence, family instability, and neglect. Studies show that children who experience repeated exposure to trauma and chronic stress have executive functioning deficits that impact their ability to do well in the classroom.  The caregivers of students living in poverty often have unresolved trauma, and lower literacy rates, both which impact their ability to support their students' learning. If we want our babies to succeed, we need to ensure that their first teachers, their parents, are healed from their own childhood traumas so that they can have the capacity to fully engage and support their students’ academic journey. We can not do this work without parents. We believe #HealedparentsHEALchildren.

The Market

Families east of the river living in the Wards 7 and 8 make an average of $1252/month where rents on average are $1,000 or more a month. The career opportunities in the district are plenty, but the number of trained people who could assume these opportunities are slim to none, especially in the science and information technology spaces. While there are many career training programs in the district, many of them are not well advertised, with no program providing financial advising and one-one coaching alongside their middle school aged students. Based on the 2019 D.C. PARCC assessment the percentage of students college and career ready in ELA and Mathematics is (25 and 20) respectively in Ward 7 compared to (76.1 and 64) in Ward 3, the district's wealthiest ward. Although there have been small gains in decreasing the achievement gap, no laudable decrease has been made and very few schools provide STEAM education that piques students interest and prepares them for 21st century careers.

The Solution

Our program is designed to service communities that are geographically and politically isolated from key resources and opportunities. We intend to begin in the most vulnerable communities in the city, such as Ward 7, and continuously expand our reach to all communities of color within the Washington, D.C. area. If the existing school system is failing to ensure upward mobility and economic security for all families, it must be redesigned. We have taken the initiative to create opportunities for families with the guidance and support of parents, educators and leaders.We are who we have been waiting on IALAS!

 Milestones

We have established some major partnerships within the community and afar to bring a robust program to the often under-served Ward 7 community.

In order to address mental health, we are partnering with the Urban Playology and Chicago School of Psychiatry to pair students and parents with therapists In order to address the wealth gap, we will provide financial advising and asset through our partners at Lasting change, LLC. In order to address the opportunity gap for middle school students we will provide early exposure to 21st century career disciplines; Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Arts, and Mental Health (STEAM) through our partners at Drone Legends, DC Urban Debate League, NASA Astro Camp, and Teaching Sands. 

One of our biggest accomplishments is becoming a part of the Citybridge 2020 design studio cohort! 
 

Virtual Pilot

The Innovative Experience pilot is launching early November and will consist of two components; parent and student. 

Parents will receive;

• A+ certification
• Mindset & Motivational Coaching
• Finacial Advising 

Students will learn;

• Coding skills using drone technology
• The power of story telling through debate training and podcasting
• Problem solving skills through learning about social impact entreneruship

This program revolutionize the way families grow together by unlocking opportunities and tools for creativity, inspiration, to create the next generation of change agents.

Parent Testimonials

"I am so excited to begin this two-generation program. I believe that this community does not have enough programs that teach you about generating wealth within your own communities. That is something that I feel is so important for us and our children to learn. During this economic crisis, due to Covid-19, I believe that it is no time like the present to learn how to better manage our money and assets. Being a single mother of four children is definitely tough and with this program I'll be able to earn a certification while getting mental health support for myself and my children."

~Christina Kemp, Ward 8 Parent

“It’s important that we have programs east of the river that have inter-generational approaches! Happy to champion programs that care about the whole child and family. We need robust options for the betterment of our children and for ourselves.”

Lajoy Johnson-Law, Ward 8 parent 

As a young child I was vulnerable and victimized. My story, however, is akin to many others who have experienced similar or worse treatment. In fact, my story was a link in a vicious cycle that plagues many families. Both my mother and father  suffered from adverse childhood experiences, so lacked the resources to address their own trauma, let alone support me in my trauma.

Despite the many adversities I have experienced, I have been quite successful, each trauma serving as a learning opportunity for growth. As an undergraduate student at Albany State, I was given the opportunity dream, surrounded by faculty and staff who supported and believed in me, which was integral to my ambition and pursuit of higher education.

As a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, it was an honor but a blow to my self-esteem where I suffered from imposter syndrome and institutional racism. Finally, I graduated with my master’s from Georgetown University, serving to bolster my self-esteem by seeing that I could perform at the level of my white counterparts. The culmination of my experiences left me with the three key components of success for those who look like me; healing, education and early exposure.