My Brother's Keeper Alliance

MBK Leadership Network

The MBK Leadership Network launched in August 2019 as an online space for local leaders to acquire knowledge and practical skills, promote innovation, share best practices, and cultivate authentic connections to advance their local MBK Alliance missions.

With the MBK Leadership Network, we hope to:

Address the need for continuous learning, development, and impact
Create common knowledge and shared understanding
Mobilize local leaders to assess progress and map measurable goals
Promote evidence-based models and approaches

Who Is the Leadership Network For

Organizations that have the capacity and desire to become a designated backbone lead for their MBK Community are eligible to join the MBK Leadership Network. A backbone organization must be a designated community-based organization, public/private partnership, a governmental-appointed agency, or tribal designated entity. There can only be one MBK backbone organization in an MBK Community.

Join the MBK Leadership Network

Is your organization or government entity ready to become a backbone entity of an MBK Community to positively impact the life outcomes of boys and young men of color?

Past Webinars & Trainings

MBK Leadership Forum

Held in 2022, the MBK Alliance Leadership Forum was a virtual gathering of MBK Communities that are making notable progress to reduce barriers and expand opportunity for boys and young men of color.

See the highlights

"What Works" Showcase: Restorative Practices and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency

Detroit’s Eastside community hosts the highest incidence of youth crime in Wayne County, in addition to the disproportionately high risk factors that impact juvenile crime rates: substantiated and unsubstantiated incidents of abuse/neglect and the highest

Intentional Inclusion: Engaging Diverse Voices and Stakeholders

Efforts to address persistent challenges facing boys and young men of color require a coalition of cross-sector partners with an ownership stake in the strategy, and a sense of empowerment to lead. This learning call will focus on how MBK communities can

Aligning Local Efforts: Coordinated Infrastructure and Leadership

Many communities and municipalities have multiple civic players and cross-sector groups working across all levels to improve outcomes for BYMOC. Cross-sector collaborations such as Promise Neighborhoods, Strive Together, Cities United or Opportunity Youth

“What Works” Showcase: Youth Diversion in Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County is home to the largest juvenile justice system in the nation, and youth of color are increasingly more likely to be arrested than their white peers. Each year, the arrest rate for black youth is approximately six times higher than that

Deep in the Data: Shared Accountability and Measurements of Success

Data that is disaggregated by race and geography can be a powerful tool to develop and advance equitable outcomes for boys and young men of color. This learning call will focus on how local MBK communities can share and use data to make decisions, continu

“What Works” Showcase: Connecting Programmatic Results to Collective Impact in Chicago

Chicago is the birthplace of Youth Guidance’s Becoming a Man (BAM) program, which provides young men a safe space to openly express themselves, receive support and develop the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed with the guidance of a caring

School Discipline and Boys and Young Men of Color: Perspectives on Policy and Practice

Throughout the country, schools operate from a complex set of harsh disciplinary policies and practices that push youth out of school through a combination of suspensions, expulsions, and arrests. Youth of color—and Black, Latino, and Native boys in parti

Changing Lives, Changing Systems: Developing and Implementing Systems Reform

The MBK Framework is guided by a commitment to a systems change approach. The most promising local MBK models not only provide direct services to boys and young men of color, but also advance and advocate for institutional reforms that demonstrate the abi

We want to acknowledge the following partners who shared their expertise and knowledge with MBK Community leaders: National League of Cities, Bloomberg Associates, PolicyLink and Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, StriveTogether, Thrive Chicago and Becoming A Man – Youth Guidance, Los Angeles County Division of Youth Diversion and Development, and Black Family Development.

Support the work of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance

Every young person's dream matters, no matter where they're from or what they look like. Donate today to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation to change their world.

The Barack Obama Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 46-4950751).

MBK Story Telling

MBK Storytelling is an opportunity for MBK Community leaders to come together and share personal stories from their lives that connect them to our work and our mission. The purpose of these conversations is to connect us with one another and our values. They will be hosted twice this year as a pilot to assess interest and impact.