While serving as Heinz Fellows in the Pittsburgh Public School District in 2013 Mr. Lloyd Cheatom, Mr. Kevin McNair, and Mr. Sam Morant noticed a need for at-risk students that was not being met.  

 

Based on their observation; students displayed high levels of school disengagement, poor attitude toward school, poor involvement in academics, and high-risk of out of school engagement.  Also apparent was a lack of cultural awareness amongst the teens.

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Through various strategies and approaches developed and applied while serving as school based mentors, they were able to create healthy academic and social habits that promoted positive behavior change, and academic success, and exposure to culturally enriched information.

In 2015 with the end of the fellowship approaching, Brother Sam, Brother Kevin, and Brother Lloyd decided to combine and apply the experiences and knowledge they were able to gain over the last two years to continue to provide mentorship and other services to the youth. 

 

They created 1Nation with the mission to serve African American youth ages 12-24 by cultivating their leadership potential, empowering positive behavior, and promoting healthy life decisions. 

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