Today we’d like to introduce you to Saliha Nelson.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to Miami from San Diego as a jobless college grad with no prospects in sight. And it was on a hot summer day in Miami when I heard the rising chatter of high school age youth crisscrossing the streets like pinballs. Their noise jolted my purpose to the forefront of possibility. And in that instant of doubt, opportunity was born. For at that moment, I stopped looking for a job and began creating my own opportunity to be of service to my community. As I look back 20 years later, I settled by no accident in the heart of Overtown—one of Miami’s most distressed communities.
My journey would begin by joining an unstaffed grassroots non-profit, URGENT, Inc., as a volunteer to create direct service programs. I pitched my program idea to the Board of Directors. The new program’s goal was to help girls make a successful transition to young adulthood. With a green light from the Board, I wrote my first grant to the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade in 1999 and was awarded $2500 to start the program at Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Overtown in 2000.
Today, I am still at URGENT, Inc. serving as Vice President and over the course of a year, I employ 18-25 staff, 50 teen interns, serve up to 250 youth from grades K-12 annually and implement programs at six sites around Miami-Dade County. Our mission is to empower young minds to transform their communities. It was no easy task to grow the grassroots organization to where it stands today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At about the 10-year point, I became increasingly frustrated with my professional skill-set and the organization’s stagnant position. It was as this time I learned of the new School of Education and Human Development Community and Social Change Master’s program at the University of Miami. As a member of the first cohort of the program, I was both apprehensive and excited. The philosophy and course outline suggested I would be able to fill in the gaps in my knowledge and continue to grow. The experience was transformative.
Because of my participation in the Master’s program, I was able to implement new participatory systems and feedback loops, not only in my organization but in the community as well. URGENT, Inc. grew by 100%, our organization’s visibility was heightened, and we started to be recognized in the community for our impact. At the community level, I was appointed by the sitting City Commissioner of my District to lead a community wide planning effort geared to increase opportunities for Overtown children and youth, which is now known as the Overtown Children and Youth Coalition, a designated Florida Children’s Initiative by the State of Florida. As chairwoman of this collective impact place-based initiative, we are breaking new ground by informing systems change efforts that are data and community driven.
Please tell us about URGENT, Inc.
Celebrating its 25th Year Anniversary, URGENT, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) Miami, FL based youth and community development organization dedicated to the mission of empowering young minds to transform their communities. Guided by the principles of innovation, growth and transformation URGENT promotes the values of compassion, patience, teamwork, responsibility, innovation, learning and reciprocity. URGENT envisions a future where all children and youth have the social, economic and educational resources to thrive.
I specialize in positive youth development, creative youth development and empowerment education. Each of the program I helped to develop integrate these concepts by helping children and youth develop life skills, find and develop their voice through the arts and engage in their community to create change. Our current programs include Youth Empowerment After School, Youth Empowerment Summer Camp, Rites of Passage Media Arts Project, and Film Arts Culture Entrepreneurship (FACE), and FACE Camp.
I am most proud of the platforms I have created with a team of talented staff to elevate the skills and talents of our youth in the community. I believe these events set us apart from others. Our signature events include the Youth Economic Development Conference (YEDC), Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival, This Woman’s Work Community Expo and Our Voice Matters- Youth Art of Soul Basel Exhibit. Our signature community art project is the Negro League Baseball Murals of Historic Dorsey Park in Overtown.
To celebrate our 25th Year Anniversary, we have two great events coming up. First on December 18, 2019 we are holding a Topgolf fundraiser in Doral from 11:00am-5:00pm. Corporate Teams and individuals of all ages can come out a Take Swing for a Great Cause! And then on October 26, 2019 we will hold our 25th Anniversary Celebration: A Royal Lion King Gala at Arts at the Elks. For tickets or to become a sponsor, folks can visit www.urgentinc.org/events.
Is there anyone in particular you would like to recognize? Mentors, etc?
Personally, my biggest cheerleader is my mom and coming in second is my husband. I also have to give a shout out to my sister Shedia Nelson, who has been working with me for over ten years now. Professionally, I have had the support of so many people and organizations over the last 20 years of my career here in Miami. I first have to thank Claudia Kitchens and Fran Katz who were with the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade County in 2000. They gave me a chance to bring my program for girls to life. And there were two women at Booker T. Washington Senior High School’s Community School, Acquanetta Buggs and Willene Adker. They welcomed me on to campus and let me run my girls program with students. They really showed me the ropes. In 2002, Ms. Jackie Bell of New Washington Heights CDC invited me to set up shop in her office space. This was URGENT’s first office space. URGENT continued to grow with the help of the Overtown Empowerment Zone and Miami Dade County Small CBO initiative. Another milestone was the formation of The Children’s Trust and us winning a contract to become one of their providers for summer camp and after school services. Later we won another contract to operate a middle and high school program.
In 2012, Marvin Wilmoth, who is now Vice Mayor for North Bay Village, helped URGENT become the community organization selected to move into the ground floor of The Beacon, an affordable housing development in Overtown. Moving into the fully outfitted facility provided us the opportunity to open a new elementary after school program. Today, my mentors and supporters include Stephanie Sylvestre, Commissioner Daniella Lavine-Cava, and the team of executive women running non-profits who are part of The Commonwealth Institute’s Non-Profit Forum.
Pricing:
- Topgolf Fundraiser- Take a Swing for a Great Cause, December 18, 2019, Tickets $250
- 25th Year Anniversary Celebration- A Royal Lion King Gala October 26, 2019, Tickets $250
Contact Info:
- Address: URGENT, Inc.
1000 NW 1st Ave. Ste. 100
Miami, FL 33136 - Website: www.urgentinc.org
- Phone: 786-581-7821
- Email: office@urgentinc.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urgentinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/URGENTInc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/urgentinc
Image Credit:
Photos courtesy of Deion Wynter, Joey Ashley, Passion Ward
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