Learn about our history

About

OUR STORY

Teen Up-Ward Bound, Inc (TUB) was a vision birth in 1999 and has provided afterschool/summer activities since 2001. Initially funded through DCF as part of a One Stop Center from Front Porch Florida through the Department of Community Affairs. TUB received funds from Miami-Dade Human Services for afterschool tutoring. TUB continues successfully providing quality services to 80 after-school and 150 summer students. Funding partially from The Childrens Trust, Miami-Dade County; Child Development Services, Fundraising, and Donations from Community Partners and a continuous Family/Friends initiative.

Enrichment Teen Program

Unique summer camp experience for youth in Opa-Locka and surrounding communities that focuses on business plan development, training-based learning, and networking opportunities.

Youth Enrichment Camp

After school program that focuses on establishing goals that include improvement of student learning and achievement in reading, science, technology, and mathematics.

Titans Basketball

TUB Titans compete in recreational basketball leagues as well as the USBA, US Amateur, USSSA, and AAU basketball tournaments. Goals include expanding level of play and youth sponsorship.

OUR PARTNERS

Impact

TUB has helped the community with hundreds of children/families excelling to new levels of success. The program has provided the extra academic help where 98% of TUB’s 3rd graders pass the FCAT and are promoted to the next grade. Students that attended TUB are encouraged to volunteer and as the opportunity is available receives extra consideration for employment.

TUB serves many families that are not financially able to contribute much to offset the cost of these camp services. But through the support of funding and community partners, TUB continues to provide quality services, community outings and other fun social activities. This assistance to families affords the parents/caregivers the opportunity to receive services that may otherwise be unaffordable. 

Teen Up-Ward bound Enrichment Camp is a model for the City of Opa-Locka and surrounding areas for quality programming. Lead by an enthusiastic board of directors, management team, employees and supporting cast of community partners and parents, the community has much to be enthusiastic about. 

TUB services have been enhanced to include a successful healthy living initiative of urban gardening, nutrition, wellness, physical fitness and sports.

Awards

TUB received the Children’s Trust 2007 award for Excellence in Youth Programming and Children with Disabilities. 2008 TUB received the City of Opa-Locka CBO Of The Year Award. Teen Up-Ward Bound has received awards from St. Thomas University (2013/14) for the services provided to the community through community engagement. TUB have serviced hundreds of students and their families in the community that have gone on to become successful teachers, NFL players, administrators and some have even gone on and pursued careers to the youth of their community through social services.

Founders Message

As Teen Up-Ward Bound accomplishes it’s mission to “Build Strong Families” we strive to create an awareness of ways to overcome what has been identified in our children as a defect. This can be achieved by assisting the child to humbly comfort the truth. This confrontation can assist them to discover and face things that they don’t understand and have been rebelling against.

(Building Strong Families)

Teen Up-Ward Bound staff stresses love. The agency believes that Love is the activity that creates effects. The desire to want to create effects. The desire to want to create a pro survival effect and replace the lost of self pride. The lost of self respect is the beginning of a criminal future.

(Delinquency & Truancy Prevention)

The goals are to teach the children to be responsible. To empower them through change of attitude, educational training, and to give them hope through returning faith into their lives. Faith is the understanding of how to create what you need to change. We must instill them with the courage to know that their lives can change, they can make a difference. It’ ordinary people that make this community what it is. We are the builder of our community and we must be in the process to maintain it.

(Education and Higher Learning)

We must foster a safe environment for children to grow and learn from their growing experiences. Knowing that experience is not always the best teacher. Taking positive instructions helps them not experience the negative things that society has to offer. Children learn what they live. The concept of “It takes a Village to Raise Our Children” employs the principles of Teen Up-Ward Bound.

(Village Learning)

Teen Up-Ward Bound finds the gift of each child and work with that gift. Each child is taught their gift is unique and special, just for them. The children are taught to love themselves, then they will respect others. The children will understand that each of us are built uniquely, “A Designer’s Original.”