Statements

Mission

The mission of Resurgence Life Skills Institute is to encourage, enable, and empower youth and adults to reach their highest potential by providing life skills training to address problem-solving and decision-making.

Background

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are widespread, common, and prevalent in Tennessee. ACEs are defined as stressful or traumatic experiences that disrupt the safe, nurturing environments that children need to thrive. Exposure to ACEs can lead to unhealthy habits and long-term negative health and economic issues. An ACE study in Tennessee conducted by the CDC in 2012 found that 52% of the statewide population had experienced at least one ACE, and 42% of the population experienced two or more. While these are alarming statistics for Tennessee, Resurgence has found that 100% of the youth in our program in Williamson County have experienced at least one ACE, and several have experienced multiple.The Tennessee Department of Health provided statistics that showed that Williamson County holds the second highest suicide rate in Tennessee for youth ages 10-19 for 2014. According to KidCentral TN, 20% of young people in Tennessee have a mental health condition. Mental health is defined as how we think, feel, act, relate to others, communicate and learn, and respond to what life throws our way. ACEs adversely affect an individual's mental health. In consideration of all these statistics, our youth and adults have demonstrated a need for our services. Life skills education strengthens the ability of an individual to meet the needs and demands of the present society and helps in dealing with the above issues. This education helps individuals overcome such difficulties in life and develop social, emotional, and thinking skills. These skills are the important building blocks for a dynamic citizen who can cope with future challenges and survive well. It is Resurgence's goal to utilize life skills education to bridge this gap.

The mission of Resurgence Life Skills Institute is to encourage, enable, and empower at-risk youth and adults by providing life skills training to address problem-solving and decision-making through group discussions, role play, and hands-on activities. Our selected curriculum offers approaches that can significantly improve the lives and communities of the underserved in a welcoming environment. Our classes are approximately 60 minutes once a week over an 8-week period. Classes are held at local churches or at our clients' locations. The cost of the classes is at a group rate, individual rate, sliding scale, or pro bono.

Impact

Resurgence Life Skills Institute was established as a nonprofit organization in May 2017, and our accomplishments since then are as follows:
- Received 501(c)(3) status in October 2017
- Sent a mass mailing to local organizations informing them of our presence in the community and informed them of the services offered
- Met with local organizations as a result of our mass mailing efforts (other meetings in the pipeline)
- As a result of our community networking efforts, we partnered with My Friend's House, Tennessee Baptist Children's Home, Franktown Open Hearts, Community Childcare Center of Franklin, and the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin to provide life skills classes to their at-risk youth population
- Completed 8-week life skills classes on the following topics: Anger Management, Time Management, Substance Abuse and Gun Safety, Peaceful Living, Secrets to Success, Violence and Conflict Management, Self Esteem, Networking, Jobs, and Money, Health and Hygiene, and Nutrition and Exercise. Reached approximately 20 youth per week by holding two life skills classes per week
- Began to execute on our grant writing strategy by completing our first set of grant applications

For 2021-2022, our top goals are as follows:
- Along with the prior completed classes, the following classes have been requested by our clients and added to curriculum: Rules of the Road, Juvenile Delinquency, and Business Education
- To reach a minimum of 40 youth and adults per week by holding a minimum of four life skills classes per week
- To collaborate with at least 5 other Middle Tennessee organizations and become the 'provider of choice' for delivering life skills education lessons to their members
- To support the operational budget by holding a minimum 2 fundraising events throughout the year
- To increase revenue yearly and maintain a diverse fundraising portfolio to ensure sustainability
- To strengthen, grow, and align the board, staff, and volunteers to achieve strategic goals

Needs

Resurgence Life Skills Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and as such, the following are our most pressing needs:

- Public relations and marketing assistance to spread the word about Resurgence and what we offer
- Grant writing and fundraising assistance to bring in funds to support our programs
- Collaborations with other organizations to expand the reach of our services
- Passionate and committed facilitators, volunteers, and administrative personnel to assist in the functions of the organization

CEO Statement

Resurgence Life Skills Institute, Inc.'s focus is on educating and bringing awareness of various life management skills to at-risk and other youth and adults to offer a fresh perspective to their life situations. These life management skills will enable the at-risk and other youth and adults to see other alternatives that are available to them and empower them to make better choices. Resurgence accomplishes this through group discussions and hands-on activities held in a welcoming and interactive learning environment.

Board Chair Statement

Resurgence Life Skills Institute, Inc. is a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. One of the biggest challenges we face is bringing awareness about us and what we do. As a small organization, we have very limited resources and a limited budget to pay for public relations and marketing services. One of the avenues Resurgence uses to build its participant base is through collaborations with other local nonprofits. For this reason, spreading the word is imperative to furthering our mission and reach. In an effort to promote our organization, we have sent letters to various local organizations to introduce Resurgence and share what we offer. This approach has led to several meetings, of which we were very well received. We are optimistic regarding some potential future collaborations. Securing funding to accomplish our mission is definitely a challenge for Resurgence as a new nonprofit. During our meetings with other organizations, we were able to determine that there is a need for our services, but the money required to provide these services may not easily be obtained from the recipients of our services. As such, Resurgence has been in active in regards to fundraising from local businesses and family and friends. We are excited not only about the donations to be received but also about meeting new supporters for our mission. Our Board could benefit from the addition of individuals who are skilled in the areas of Public Relations/Marketing and Grant Writing/Fundraising. In light of these challenges, Resurgence has experienced many successes since our inception. Resurgence received its 501(c)(3) status within two months of applying. Resurgence became a member of the Center for Nonprofit Management ('CNM'), and the Resurgence staff have actively participated in several courses offered by the CNM. Resurgence received the Bronze Level Seal of Transparency for the inclusion of information on the GuideStar website. We set up our AmazonSmile account, and we look forward to using this as an avenue to aid in our fundraising efforts.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Education  - Educational Services
Secondary Category:	Youth Development  - Youth Development Programs
Tertiary Category:	Education  - Adult Education

Areas Served

N/A

TN - Williamson

TN - Davidson