house of umoja strategic overview - 56 years in the making (click to view)
As men study war; we shall study and be peace." -Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
"Imagine an urban inner-city campus where young people ages 12 to 25 become the moral equivalent to antibodies. Imagine youth who are trained as Peace Ambassadors to help end violence in their communities while realizing their own potential within an environment that is culturally rich and educationally relevant. Imagine these youth having this experience on a campus that is a replica of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the ancient African city of Djennè. Imagine a place where students also learn Aquaponics, Aviation, Web 3 Technologies, and Coding. Securing the future of the community requires an educated, motivated, and non-violent workforce. To do so the work must begin with our youth while providing opportunities for community participation." - Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
The House of Umoja is a 56 year young non-profit organization that uses the nucleus of family, kinship of community, culture, education (STEAM and life skills), agriculture and nutrition, to continue to reduce violence evident among at-risk and under-served youth and their families while maintaining sanctuary and mobilizing and empowering community.
"The Family is the problem and the Family is the solution..." -Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. is an internationally acclaimed institution that has, for five decades, designed and implemented timeless Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults. Its successful track record of positively transforming the lives of approximately 3,000 male adolescents and reducing gang violence, moved universities and institutions to seek the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control were among the institutions that sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing. Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life,” by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org) in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender,” by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.
The House of Umoja operated in Philadelphia during the 1970’s as a unique grassroots program initiated by community residents David and Falaka Fattah. Using their own resources and their home as a base of operations, they created this family-centered community institution that effectively mediated gang conflicts and came to serve as a source of counsel and individual development for neighborhood gang and nongang youth. The family model “provides a sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth that was previously sought through gang membership." Through reparenting and providing role models, the House of Umoja has successfully transformed more than 3,000 frightened, frustrated, and alienated young minority males into self-assured, competent, concerned, and productive citizens.
The National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (NCNE) has identified eight characteristics associated with the House of Umoja’s success (National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, 1999):
◆ A family-centered organization that acts as youth’s primary human support system and is based on a participatory model of decision making.
◆ A process of socialization in which at-risk youth develop strong, healthy identities and may even earn the name Fattah, after the House of Umoja’s initiators.
◆ The Adella, a mechanism for conflict resolution and problem solving that requires full participation of all members.
◆ Individual learning to organize personal time and space.
◆ An emphasis on the importance of work and a redefinition of the meaning of work associated with virtue.
◆ An emphasis on service to others.
◆ A spiritual or ideological context expressed in common familial rituals.
◆ Leadership training and development.
Today the focal point of the House of Umoja is the development of the Fattah Peace Academy & Campus. As men study war; we will study peace. This development is the redevelopment of buildings and lots owned by the House of Umoja on the 1400 block of N. Frazier Street (Queen Mother Falaka Fattah Way) in the 19th police district in West Philadelphia. The academy will house a community campus consisting of a state-of-the-art MakersLab & Entrepreneurial Hub, an aquaponic fed urban farm with roof-top gardens, transitional housing for returning citizens, guest housing for visiting faculty, speakers, and artists, along with classrooms, meeting and co-working space. The academy will facilitate a global peace think tank and educational programs geared to the empowerment of African Americans from ages 12 and up. The UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY in conjunction with the physical development project helps pave the way for the peace academy by maintaining sanctuary while cultivating evidence-based programming, a culture of peace, and supportive community:
• Establishment and convening of the House of Umoja Alumni Association - Email [email protected] or call (215) 473-5893 for more information.
• Million Fathers March (Philadelphia) • READING IS RESISTANCE - Fathers Partner2Educate MILLION FATHERS MARCH
"Imagine an urban inner-city campus where young people ages 12 to 25 become the moral equivalent to antibodies. Imagine youth who are trained as Peace Ambassadors to help end violence in their communities while realizing their own potential within an environment that is culturally rich and educationally relevant. Imagine these youth having this experience on a campus that is a replica of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the ancient African city of Djennè. Imagine a place where students also learn Aquaponics, Aviation, Web 3 Technologies, and Coding. Securing the future of the community requires an educated, motivated, and non-violent workforce. To do so the work must begin with our youth while providing opportunities for community participation." - Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
The House of Umoja is a 56 year young non-profit organization that uses the nucleus of family, kinship of community, culture, education (STEAM and life skills), agriculture and nutrition, to continue to reduce violence evident among at-risk and under-served youth and their families while maintaining sanctuary and mobilizing and empowering community.
"The Family is the problem and the Family is the solution..." -Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. is an internationally acclaimed institution that has, for five decades, designed and implemented timeless Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults. Its successful track record of positively transforming the lives of approximately 3,000 male adolescents and reducing gang violence, moved universities and institutions to seek the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control were among the institutions that sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing. Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life,” by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org) in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender,” by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.
The House of Umoja operated in Philadelphia during the 1970’s as a unique grassroots program initiated by community residents David and Falaka Fattah. Using their own resources and their home as a base of operations, they created this family-centered community institution that effectively mediated gang conflicts and came to serve as a source of counsel and individual development for neighborhood gang and nongang youth. The family model “provides a sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth that was previously sought through gang membership." Through reparenting and providing role models, the House of Umoja has successfully transformed more than 3,000 frightened, frustrated, and alienated young minority males into self-assured, competent, concerned, and productive citizens.
The National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (NCNE) has identified eight characteristics associated with the House of Umoja’s success (National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, 1999):
◆ A family-centered organization that acts as youth’s primary human support system and is based on a participatory model of decision making.
◆ A process of socialization in which at-risk youth develop strong, healthy identities and may even earn the name Fattah, after the House of Umoja’s initiators.
◆ The Adella, a mechanism for conflict resolution and problem solving that requires full participation of all members.
◆ Individual learning to organize personal time and space.
◆ An emphasis on the importance of work and a redefinition of the meaning of work associated with virtue.
◆ An emphasis on service to others.
◆ A spiritual or ideological context expressed in common familial rituals.
◆ Leadership training and development.
Today the focal point of the House of Umoja is the development of the Fattah Peace Academy & Campus. As men study war; we will study peace. This development is the redevelopment of buildings and lots owned by the House of Umoja on the 1400 block of N. Frazier Street (Queen Mother Falaka Fattah Way) in the 19th police district in West Philadelphia. The academy will house a community campus consisting of a state-of-the-art MakersLab & Entrepreneurial Hub, an aquaponic fed urban farm with roof-top gardens, transitional housing for returning citizens, guest housing for visiting faculty, speakers, and artists, along with classrooms, meeting and co-working space. The academy will facilitate a global peace think tank and educational programs geared to the empowerment of African Americans from ages 12 and up. The UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY in conjunction with the physical development project helps pave the way for the peace academy by maintaining sanctuary while cultivating evidence-based programming, a culture of peace, and supportive community:
- Umoja Youth Peace Corps (ages 12-18 students, truant youth, and those who have dropped out of school) UMOJA YOUTH PEACE CORPS
- Block Parent Block by Block Initiative
- Solution Saturdays Community Meetings
- Planting Seeds Messaging Campaign PLANTING SEEDS
• Establishment and convening of the House of Umoja Alumni Association - Email [email protected] or call (215) 473-5893 for more information.
• Million Fathers March (Philadelphia) • READING IS RESISTANCE - Fathers Partner2Educate MILLION FATHERS MARCH