This Is What We Do
GROW YOUR OWN (GYO) LEADER PROGRAMS
CENTER FOR BLACK MALE YOUTH LEADERSHIP (CBMYL)
The Melanated Masterminds Center for Black Male Youth Leadership is a culturally grounded, four-year leadership development experience for Black boys in grades 9–12. Rooted in the Africana Studies Framework and Participatory Action Research (PAR), our center cultivates scholar-practitioners who lead with purpose, identity, and global vision. Through monthly cohort convenings, coaching certification, rites of passage, and a culminating international immersion in Africa, young Black males develop the skills, consciousness, and community needed to transform their lives—and the systems around them. We don’t just prepare leaders; we build liberators.
At Melanated Masterminds, we are committed to developing and implementing Grow-Your-Own (GYO) programs that cultivate the next generation of educators and leaders. Rooted in an African-centered foundation, our approach ensures that leadership pipelines are intentionally built to sustain equitable, culturally affirming, and community-driven educational ecosystems.
From vision to execution and sustainment, Melanated Masterminds partners with organizations and communities to intentionally grow and sustain leadership pipelines, ensuring that our communities’ educators and leaders of tomorrow are prepared, empowered, and culturally grounded.
Youth Community Leadership Fellowship (YCLF)
The Youth Community Leadership Fellowship (YCLF) is a 4-year leadership and social impact program for Black college students attending HBCUs or PWIs in Delaware. Rooted in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), the fellowship equips students with the tools to lead change in their communities while deepening their identity, critical thinking, communication, and global awareness.
Fellows meet monthly—virtually and in person—for leadership development, collaborative research, and coaching. Each year culminates in a transformative week-long cultural immersion experience in an African country. Grounded in Gholdy Muhammad’s Learning Pursuits (Identity, Skill, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy), YCLF develops the next generation of scholar-activists prepared to lead with purpose, power, and pride.
Melanated Masterminds provides social impact leadership coaching services through a multifaceted approach designed to empower educators, schools, districts, CBOs, and community leaders to create and build African-centered communities whose aim is to liberate Black children.
We provide one-on-one and group coaching sessions to students, educators, school leaders, policymakers, non-profit leaders, organizers, and community leaders. These sessions are tailored to each client's specific needs and goals. Our sessions are grounded in leading transformative change through the lens of truth, equity, and justice. We leverage culturally responsive leadership and the Africana Studies Conceptual Categories as frameworks for supporting leaders in their work.
Our team excels at identifying key areas for meaningful change.
