Examiner.com

In February of 2007, Cedric Washington's vision was brought to fruition when he founded the N.E.R.D. Youth Services; which stands for Nurturing Education Rewarding Determination. An Alumnus of Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, IN, Washington played basketball for the Peregrines and earned degrees in both Elementary Education and Behavioral Science. This makes him more than qualified for the work that he is doing.

His motivation behind the program was to take an active approach outside of teaching that will give students other avenues for success, in addition to academics. Washington stated that "Socially, our youth face a lot of adversities". A desire to help in these areas as well, led him to the construction of Project Uplift, a mentoring program under the N.E.R.D. Youth Services that intends to enhance facets such as role modeling, emotional maturity, and conflict resolution, among other things. Washington's goal is to help the youth in all phases of life, not just in the classroom.

Other services include: tutoring, student-athlete study tables, college tours, and standardized test preparations. There is also an exercise component to the program which offers a ply-metric style workout. A youth basketball league will be implemented this summer as well. So, in addition to academics and social skills, N.E.R.D. is also designed to improve the physical health of the youth that they service. This program covers all of the bases.

A member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program, Cedric says that he is currently working to build relationships with the schools in Gary, Indiana, as well as the Chicagoland area. He would like to see the mentoring program established in schools as "character education".

To get involved with or request the services of Cedric Washington and N.E.R.D., call 219-775-4007 or email nerdyouthservices@yahoo.com.