Building tomorrow's leaders by empowering today's youth
Our President
Mathieu Merideth spent 3 years in Fargo, North Dakota working at a public high school as a student success advisor. In this role, he provided academic and low-level social-emotional support for his students. As part of his portfolio, he worked with the Umoja program within his school, and provided literacy support for the students participating in this program. Seeing the positive change within his students, he decided to bring the principle of Umoja to a new city by establishing the Umoja Virginia non-profit.
What is Umoja?
Umoja, as an idea, started in Fargo, North Dakota as a way for students of color to come together in a nurturing space to collaborate on creative solutions to the issues of our day.
3 years on, we have started the Umoja Virginia non-profit focused on providing the same workshops and cultural education to Richmond metro youth.
Why Umoja?
In 2020, many of the social issues we saw came from an inability and unwillingness to collaborate to solve our issues. This caused a breakdown in important conversations that had wide reaching implications. Umoja seeks to provide a space for our youth to learn the importance of cohesion, creativity, and community through workshops made to challenge our youth, and promote Umoja (Unity) across all Richmond metro populations.
Our Pillars
Jumuiya: Community
Jumuiya (Joo-mwee-ya) is our dedication to provide after school programs within community centers and libraries. This will encompass the majority of our initial projects and is intended to introduce Umoja to the community, and sow the initial seeds for community rebuilding.
Umoja:
Unity
Pamoja:
Together
Mshikomano:
Cohesion
Umoja (Oo-moh-jah) is our cultural education workshops held within schools. The goal with this initiative is to provide the necessary education that is often left out of school curriculum due to legislation or apathy. With these workshops, we hope to create unity across all demographics amongst our youth.
Pamoja (Pah-moh-ja) is our community events initiative. We intend to use these to showcase our youth's artistic abilities and ideas. Our goal with these events is to bring the community together to celebrate the multitude of cultures present.
Mshikomano (Mu-shee-koh-mah-noh) is our ongoing work to provide cohesion with our community. This initiative is intended to provide additional programs for our youth such as summer camps, youth club sports, media publications, post secondary readiness programs, and youth mentorships.
Writing Workshops
We provide a space for youth to express themselves creatively and collaborate with their peers on innovative community solutions.
Youth Summer Camps
We provide a time for youth to engage in a activities outside of their normal surroundings, and help broaden their horizons.
Youth Mentorship
We provide one-on-one mentorship to our youth to provide guidance for post-secondary life in a rapidly changing world.
Community Events
We provide a space for our community to come together and celebrate the ideas, cultures, and people that make Richmond what it is.
Support our mission
Our work is only possible through the support of our community. You may chose to support our efforts in a specific jurisdiction or give broad support to all efforts across the Richmond metro. Finally, We want to thank you in advance for your support, now matter how big or small it may be.
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NEWSLETTER
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