Our Game Plan
Mission: Increasing opportunity and economic mobility for single-parent families through higher education.
Here are some of our most recent wins—as presented during our 2023 Under Review event.
Raise The Barr is a 2Gen program led by a 2Gen Team on a mission to maximize the potential of every individual.
Co-Founded by NFL linebacker Anthony Barr and his mother Lori Barr in 2016, Raise the Barr is committed to increasing the economic mobility for single-parent students in Minnesota and Southern California by providing them with the holistic resources they need to complete their education, including resources they need for their children to thrive. Promoting college success among student-parents is critical to improving racial, ethnic, and gender equity in higher education access.
Raise the Barr places single-parent students at the center of our work, and as such identifies every opportunity to elevate their voices in advocacy work and to advise the leadership team. Two Raise The Barr scholars serve on our Board of Directors.
The Problem?
While more than 20% of college students in the U.S. are parents, many universities and their surrounding communities do not provide parenting students with the resources necessary for raising a family—especially while pursuing a degree. Without the right resources, student parents face a multitude of economic and social challenges.
Our Solution: Tackling Poverty Through a 2Gen Approach.
The two-generation (“2Gen”) approach builds family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and the adults in their lives to access new resources, solve problems, and sharpen existing skills. Our programming is modeled on the 6 pillars of Whole Family Wellness as identified by Ascend at The Aspen Institute and implemented using the framework of Mobility Mentoring—a strength based approach that provides a roadmap for people living in poverty to reach economic independence. Using Mobility Mentoring, we guide our scholars to achieve their goals in education and career pathways, family life, finances, and health.
At Raise The Barr, we support single-parenting students in CA and MN by offering programs in the college & career pathways, financial empowerment, and community-building & networking categories.
We believe in the “curb cut effect” which, simply put, is the concept that laws or policies that are created to benefit a vulnerable group, such as single-parent students, often end up benefiting all. To make post-secondary schools more equitable, we believe in creating space for single-parent students and their families who are least supported by the system, which would benefit multiple generations of learners, as well as the broader population. Additionally, promoting college success among single-parent students is critical to improving racial, ethnic, and gender equity in higher education access. Single-parent students are at the center of all our work. Together, we plan and implement programming that leads to well-being for the entire family.
Our Goals
Reduce financial burden and stabilize families by providing scholarships, emergency grants, rental stipends and other basic needs support.
Train and prepare for the workforce which leads to opportunities for increased earnings post-degree attainment vs. no degree
Improve financial acumen that leads to overall awareness and understanding of how to be financially independent
Increase social capital that leads to reduced isolation, creates a sense of belonging, and increases opportunity for personal and professional growth, as well as improved overall mental health
Improve whole family wellness
Review our full 2023 Annual Report.
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