B-SPIRIT-A²Y is an after school tutoring and mentoring program located in the Park Heights community of Baltimore, MD.
Nargas Hyman, Founder and Executive Director
Nargas Hyman, Founder and Executive Director, has been providing free after school and summer programs for youths of this community since 1993, when she began offering free tutoring and mentoring out of her grandmother’s basement.
Ms. Hyman grew up in the Park Heights area, and started the program in her grandmother’s basement to keep her son and his friends off the street. In addition to homework assistance, tutoring, and mentoring, the program also provides counseling youth on issues including
- peer mediation
- conflict resolution
- self-esteem and life skills training
- basic banking and entrepreneurship workshops
- teenage pregnancy and substance abuse prevention
- gang prevention
- HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention
The program functioned without funding for 12 years and she worked full-time and 2 part-time jobs to sustain the program. B-SPIRIT moved into a larger renovated space within the community in December 2007.
