15,000 young people.
Four neighborhood zones.
One common goal:

Close the achievement gap by 2020.

Why? Because wasted human potential hurts all of us. Allowing nearly half of our children to leave school without graduating is not acceptable. It does not reflect our community’s values, our priorities, or our ideals. It is a crisis that jeopardizes all our futures.

We are working to close the achievement gap because…

we believe ALL children are born with unlimited potential

we believe ALL children need to grow up with high expectations of a supportive community

and we believe ALL children deserve real opportunities to realize their potential

so they can succeed in school, work and life.

Believe 2 Become is a collaborative partnership of hundreds of organizations and individuals who believe in the unlimited potential of Grand Rapids children, and expect them to succeed. Believe 2 Become is creating real opportunities for children and youth to become the people they aspire to be.

Read more:

Why is it acceptable to expect less from our inner-city students?

Treating Students As Gifted Yields Impressive Academic Results, Study Finds