FORT WALTON BEACH — Taco Bell Foundation For Teens is teaming up with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast in a joint program.
Graduate for Más, a program co-created in partnership with Get Schooled, challenges teens to make a personal pledge to graduate high school.
Once registered, teens receive the information and inspiration they need to succeed. By staying active, they can earn points for prizes, rewards and educational support, including scholarships, and mentoring resources in their communities.
The program is made possible through a $10,307 Taco Bell Foundation For Teens grant. The grant awarded to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast was part of a new, five-year partnership between the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens and Boys & Girls Clubs of America expected to raise $30 million to support more teenagers and improve America’s high school graduation rate.
According to Education Week’s Diplomas Count report, a projected 1 million students failed to graduate with their class in 2013 and one in four American students will not graduate on time.
Locally, the partnership with the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens will help rising eighth- and ninth-graders transition into high school with the tools and mindset needed to excel in high school, and beyond. Teens will have new opportunities to:
•Participate in high school workshops and coaching programs
•Gain access to an online community for peer support
•Meet with mentors in their local area
•Learn about the college experience with visits to trade schools, colleges and universities across the country
•Attend career preparation and course planning sessions
“We value and appreciate the commitment Taco Bell has made on both a national and local level to our community and teens,” stated Todd Wilkinson, chairman of the board of directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Program aims to ensure high school students graduate