THE PROBLEM
“Teachers of color need relational support. When I’ve worked in other jobs, I see colleagues supporting each other when they need help, whereas I don’t see that as being available as much to teachers.”
— Ed Trust
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE
What is The Village Initiative (TVI)?
Our flagship program, The Village Initiative, supplements the curriculum of existing credentialing programs to address the social, emotional, and housing needs of Black male teachers-in-training. This approach pays particular attention to prospective Black men, who according to many studies, are discriminated against because they are Black and male. Additionally, many of them must heal the lack of CARE in their own K-12 experiences, their lives and communities as they become teachers.
We operate our programming at throughout southern California including: our training facility, our partner university campuses, and at K-12 school sites. We are governed by an active11-member volunteer board of directors.
Supporting Educators with Affordable Housing
At the Watts of Power Foundation, we believe that educators thrive when they can live and work in the communities they serve. That’s why we provide affordable housing solutions tailored to the needs of our Village Initiative fellows and other education professionals. This initiative is designed to remove barriers, promote stability, and foster a deeper connection between educators and their local communities.
Our housing program offers safe, high-quality, and cost-effective accommodations, ensuring that teachers can focus on their mission of educating and empowering the next generation. By providing affordable housing, we address the challenges of rising living costs, making it possible for educators to remain in the neighborhoods where they make the greatest impact.
Interested in learning more or applying for housing? Visit Here to explore eligibility criteria and access our application form. Together, we can build a stronger foundation for educators and the communities they serve.
40 Acres and A Village
The overarching goal of The Village Initiative is to improve the pipeline gap for Black male educators in Los Angeles, California, which will in turn improve educational and social emotional learning outcomes for all children, and especially Black children. Over the next ten years, The Teacher Village Initiative will address the lacuna in current recruitment and retention efforts to increase the number of new, highly qualified teachers. At full capacity, TVI’s advocacy campaign will train 20, 1st year fellows and 20, 2nd year fellows at a time. This will yield 140 new, fully credentialed and experienced teachers by 2033.
We know that high costs of living in major metropolitan cities like Los Angeles becomes a barrier for many educators. We believe that provide housing that is affordable for our pre-service teachers help to defray the costs of their pathway into the teaching profession. This is why part of our supports to our educators is housing. Our goal is build housing for our fellows beginning in Summer 2024. Thanks to our partners at Letter Four Inc who has been working with on this build and design project.
Are you interested in our Residency program?
Watch our info session with CSUDH where you will get your credential while in the fellowship with The Village. Our partnership with CSUDH + LAUSD guarantees you the ability to earn your credential while being placed in an LAUSD school.
After the completion of our residency program you will be hired by the school district to begin your teaching career.
“Having a Black teacher means having someone that is also part of your community that knows and values Black lives and realizes the importance of education in the black community.”