After learning about the achievement gap in college, and having experienced first hand the power of mentoring, Karim and a few friends developed Practice Makes Perfect. The nonprofit strives to narrow the achievement gap by providing mentorship opportunities to low-income students in New York City. A summer program pairs low-achieving middle school students with talented high school tutors. It’s an approach that actually helps both the younger and the older students learn and grow.

Karim’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. Last month, Practice Makes Perfect was recognized at theClinton Global Initiative University conference. And if that wasn’t enough for a single month, Karim was also named as a finalist for a 2013 Echoing Green fellowship. He’ll still need to survive another round of in-person interviews to see if he makes the final cut, but we’re confident that he will.

This spring, Karim graduates Cornell and enters the “real world.” It’s great to know that he has already helped to make the real world a little bit better. Thanks for talking with us Karim.

1. IN JUST ONE SENTENCE, WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?  I believe I’ve been blessed with the education and perspective to help reform some of America’s most academically struggling public schools so that they work for the children attending them again.

2. HOW HAS THIS WORK CHANGED YOU? It has been my experience that when you figure out your purpose in this world, you become so much more efficient. You are no longer searching for the answer to the question of “What will I do with my life?” Decisions in life that may have been tough before suddenly feel not so tough. You build up the confidence and the energy to carry out your pursuits in a meaningful way. At least that has been my experience.

3. WHAT DO YOU GET FROM GIVING? I get a deep sense of satisfaction. As if I am honoring a commitment that I made. See, my whole life I have been given a lot. Thinking back to high school, I participated in a nonprofit called Rewarding Achievement. The organization paid students attending select inner-city public schools for passing Advanced Placement exams. My senior year I received a $1,750 check for my performance. I immediately went up to one of the co-founders who also happened to be a former corporate lawyer and thanked him. I asked him how I could repay him and he quickly responded “just pay-it-forward”. The reality is that there wasn’t much I could give to a successful corporate lawyer at the time but my word that I would. And so every time I give, I feel as if I am honoring that earlier commitment.

4. WHO IS A LIVING HERO AND WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THEM IF GIVEN THE CHANCE? There are three on my list: President Barack Obama, Richard Branson, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. If I had the chance, I would ask them all the following question: What are 10 things you know now that you wish you knew in your 20s?

5. WHAT EVERYDAY RESOURCES COULD HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR PHILANTHROPIC GOALS? Aside from money, which can never hurt a nonprofit, we are looking for people. This summer as things ramp up, we’d like to get more people and their companies engaged with us to help rebuild the schools our students attend. Additionally, we can never discount the importance of mentors for the interns we hope to bring in over the summer. If individuals have expertise in PR or business development and would like to mentor college students as they work with us for the summer, we would gladly facilitate the relationship. Last summer Nancy Nicolelis volunteered her time and it helped our intern grow tremendously.

6. WHAT IS A BURNING QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE FOR THIS COMMUNITY? I’m giving the senior toast this year at It’s a Black Affair at Cornell and I will be asking my peers this very question: Who will your life’s journey be for? I feel that a life lived for oneself is a life not worth living.

7. WHAT WOULD THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK BE? If I had to write a book, which I hope to eventually do one day, I would title it The Time is Now. Our whole lives we come up with excuses not to do things or take responsibility for things that we should. Every chapter of the book would be used to inspire the reader to take action in their personal and professional lives.

8. TELL US SOMETHING YOU RARELY SHARE IN PUBLIC?  When I was 13 years old I started two business ventures that didn’t really go anywhere. I taught myself HTML and built my first business from scratch. I was going to import electronics from China in bulk at wholesale prices and sell them at retail value to people in the United States through my company “All You Need In A Bundle”. The second was an invention for a heated toilet seat that my father and I patented through the invention submission corporation but never really took the time to further invest in the idea.

9. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHERS WHO ASPIRE TO BE CITIZEN PHILANTHROPISTS? Stop aspiring and start doing. Early on when I was starting my nonprofit, a mentor told me that I couldn’t help the poor if I was one of them. It took me two weeks to finally figure out that poor was more than just a financial status or a social class – it was a state of mind.

10. WHAT QUESTION DO YOU WISH I HAD ASKED, AND WHAT IS THE ANSWER?  I read through all of the simple questions that were difficult to ask and I was surprised I didn’t see this one: What drives you? I honestly don’t have a good answer for this question but I just figured it would have made the list. My drive has come from different things at different points of my life. As I have gotten older those motivations have changed, which I think is natural and essential. I know my early motivation was to impress my father more than my other brothers did. Then I remember wanting to be the best salesmen at our family business. At another point it was money and then it was family. Today it’s my life’s purpose and I can only wait for what tomorrow’s inspiration will be.

Read the original post here: http://www.communicategood.com/2013/05/talking-good-with-karim-abouelnaga/

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., Organization Dedicated to Academic Achievement,

Selected to Participate in Points of Light Civic Accelerator

 New York–Practice Makes Perfect, the New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to narrowing the academic achievement gap among inner-city students, was chosen to participate in cohort 2 of Points of Light’s Civic Accelerator program. The organization was chosen as a top finalist out of over 150 applicants nationwide. Practice Makes Perfect will also receive $10,000 in seed funding from Points of Light and has the opportunity to receive up to $50,000 through the program.

Points of Light was founded in 1990 and in partnership with Village Capital, launched the Civic Accelerator program to help social ventures.  The program aims to provide funding, mentoring, and entrepreneurial education to the selected social entrepreneurs. The participants also receive peer support and networking from the access to other start-ups in the cohort. Points of Light has also received generous support from the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. and the Starbucks Foundation for the founding of the Civic Accelerator Program.

Last year Practice Makes Perfect served almost 150 students across three New York City boroughs. This summer the organization expects to expand its outreach even further, to serve 500 socioeconomically disadvantaged students through ten programs across New York City.

About Practice Makes Perfect, Inc.

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by six Cornell students on the premise that all children – regardless of race or socioeconomic status – have equal potential to compete intellectually in our society. Practice Makes Perfect aims to narrow the achievement gap by pairing academically struggling middle school students with high-achieving high school students within the same inner-city neighborhoods, and places them under the supervision of college interns, for an academic intensive summer program.

About the Civic Accelerator

Points of Light The Civic Accelerator, in partnership with Village Capital, supports and invests in for-profit and nonprofit startups from across the country that put people at the center of social, environmental and economic change.  The Civic Accelerator was founded with generous support from PwC Charitable Foundation and the Starbucks Foundation.

About Points of Light

Points of Light is the leading volunteer organization with a  mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. In 2011, 4.3 million people tackled problems in their communities through our networks including HandsOn Action Centers, generationOn, AmeriCorps Alums and Corporate Institute. The Civic Incubator, a division of Points of Light, serves as a catalyst for innovation by supporting, investing and helping to grow the impact of social entrepreneurs and their civic ventures through several programs including the Civic Accelerator.

About Village Capital

Village Capital is the world’s top accelerator and fund for seed-stage impact ventures.  To date, Village Capital has launched 18 programs worldwide, serving over 300 enterprises. Village Capital has enabled over $2 million in investment directly into companies through a unique model where the entrepreneurs themselves select investment.  Participating enterprises have raised a cumulative $30 million post-program, creating 5,000 jobs and serving 4 million customers worldwide.

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Contact: Danielle Chase, Public Relations

danielle.chase@pmpnyc.org

www.pmpnyc.org

www.facebook.com/pmpnyc

Points of Light is a large international nonprofit organization that mobilizes people to do volunteer work. Last year, it set up a civic accelerator program to  encourage and support entrepreneurs to tackle social issues.

“Our communities face increasingly complex social and economic problems,” said program director Ayesha Khana in an email to VentureBeat. “To truly solve these issues, we need breakthrough ideas that engage people in new and different ways and can succeed at scale. We enlist entrepreneurs and support them as they tap into the world’s largest renewable resource – people and their desire to effect change.”

The recession was a challenge for many non-profits and charitable organizations who struggled to stay afloat. At the same time, consumers are expressing a greater interest in the social and environmental impact of their actions and social entrepreneurship is on the rise. The idea that for-profit companies can positively and powerfully affect change is gaining momentum,

Just over a month ago, Google and ‘Peace Corps for Geeks’ organization Code for America formed an incubator program and two MIT grads founded Tumml, an ‘urban ventures’ accelerator program. Furthermore, the legendary Ron Conway said the tech community has a responsibility to “affect positive change in our communities (so it must be true.)

Points of Light wants to build an ecosystem of entrepreneurs, investors, and stakeholders dedicated to driving social, as well as technological advancement.

“For the greater tech community/country, we are hoping to create a ‘civic venture’ lens,” Khana said. ”We are looking to prove that organizations aspiring to make a social or environmental impact must leverage people (their time, talent, voice and/or money) as a core part of the business model if they want to truly move the needle against the most intractable issues of our time.”

Points of Light partnered with Village Capital, which has launched 17 accelerator programs in the U.S. and emerging markets. Over 300 entrepreneurs have participated in its programs and its companies have collectively raised more than $30 million in capital. Village Capital cites its mission as ‘democratizing entrepreneurship’ by connecting participants with mentors and training, as well as intensive peer review. At the end of the program, the entrepreneurs select which companies will receive investment.

Points of Light will also apply this peer-based learning and investment model. Every startup is offered $10,000 in investment and ultimately peer-selected companies in the group will receive $50,000. The 12-week program kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the curriculum is presented virtually so entrepreneurs don’t have to take time off or leave during a critical period of company development. Every month, the entrepreneurs all come together in a different location for hands-on sessions.

The Starbucks Foundation and PricewaterhouseCoopers Charitable Foundation invested in the accelerator.

The ten companies in the second class are :

EPIC: Engaging Philanthropy, Inspiring Creatives (Chicago)

EPIC empowers creative professionals to make social change happen.

GenX & Associates (Chicago)

GenX & Associates helps communities dashboard their social, economic, and environmental data online for local decision-making.

Graph Alchemist (Portland, OR)

GraphAlchemist offers Graph as a Service (GaaS) to provide data driven solutions to complex problems

Ioby (Brooklyn, NY)

Ioby builds stronger, more sustainable neighborhoods using a cutting edge crowd-resourcing platform for leaders and innovators

Neighbor.ly (Kansas City, MO)

Neighbor.ly is the funding platform for civic projects

Practice Makes Perfect (Astoria, NY)

Practice Makes Perfect works to narrow the achievement gap in low income U.S. neighborhoods through summer enrichment programs.

Public Lab (Cambridge, MA)

Public Lab is a community that develops and applies affordable, open-source environmental monitoring tools to empower citizen scientists.

The GREEN Program

The GREEN Program transforms experiential education around the world, and empowers leaders to break into and disrupt the hottest industries of our time.

Jubilee Project (New York)

Jubilee Project makes videos for a good cause that empower, enable, and inspire the next generation of changemakers

Village Defense (Atlanta, GA)

Village Defense provides neighborhoods with a real-time communications system to keep neighbors safe and connected.
Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/10/10-startups-put-civic-lens-on-tech-to-drive-change-in-communities/#2PZQU7hWJOAyK90K.99

Narrowing the achievement gap in inner-city communities

The JFK Memorial Fellowship award winner for 2013 is Hotel School student Karim Abouelnaga, of Astoria, New York.

Karim is an extraordinary Cornellian who grew up juggling the demands of helping in a small family business with his instinctive understanding that education is the way out of poverty. As he wrote in his JFK application, “Like many children from immigrant families, I struggled to succeed in an educational system with which my parents were not familiar. While I could not articulate this problem until college, it is one I know intimately, as it plagued my childhood, hobbled the life prospects of my closest childhood friends, and indelibly impacted my community.”

Karim’s response has been to create opportunities for other young people in similar circumstances by mobilizing Cornell friends to found a not for profit organization, Practice Makes Perfect, which brings together students at several educational levels for four years of intensive summer study aimed at narrowing the achievement gap. With help from Cornell, Ernst and Young, the Clinton Global Initiative, the Andrew and Anne Tisch Foundation and numerous private donors. Practice Makes Perfect assists some 250 young people in New York City each year. The JFK award will augment these numbers: “In a PMP Program, $10,000 changes the life prospects for 50 students by employing 15 high-achieving high school students, providing mentorship for 30 academically struggling middle school students, generating hundreds of dollars of positive value for the community through service projects, and creating enriching summer internship opportunities for five aspiring teachers.” PMP was named one of the top sixteen most dynamic projects at the Clinton 2012 Global University Initiative Conference.

Besides PMP, Karim has devoted himself to Ithakids, Black Students United and a mentorship program aimed at increasing the graduation rate of Cornell’s black male students. He has traveled the country on behalf of the LIFE Foundation, speaking to members of the insurance industry about his life and work. He is a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar. Karim has held internships with BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and has volunteered on political campaigns. He is a licensed NYS Realtor, a Newman Civic Fellow, a Pearson Prize National Fellow, and Presidential fellow through the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. In his spare time, he enjoys competing in triathlons, where he raises funds for his projects, and volunteering. One of his professors describes an incident in class where a student, trying to improve the work of another, told him to “Try to Karim it up more.”

Karim’s aim is to expand PMP’s reach to thousands of students nationwide. Working out of space donated by Teach for America, he will devote himself to this project after graduation. One of Karim’s referees wrote, “The way Karim commits his efforts to representing those who are historically underserved and underrepresented speaks volumes about him and what he stands for. His efforts on campus earned him Cornell’s Distinguished Leadership Award….” Another of his professors “cites him at the top of his list of people who will impact our society and challenge the current way we treat our fellow man.”

Karim thanks the Class of 1964 for believing in him and his work. Once again, Cornell has produced an outstanding public servant and JFK award winner.

Read the original article here: http://www.cornell1964.org/jfk/jfk_13_abouelnaga.html

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., Organization Dedicated to Academic Achievement,

Recognized at Clinton Global Initiative University for Addressing Global Challenges

New York–Practice Makes Perfect, the New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to narrowing the academic achievement gap among inner-city students, was recognized by former President Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative University 2013 meeting. The organization was one of five student commitments recognized for making a difference in one of five areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health.

The annual conference, held this year at Washington University in St. Louis, April 5-7, brings together more than 1,000 students from around the world with innovators, thought leaders, and civically engaged celebrities to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

Practice Makes Perfect cofounder Karim Abouelnaga was seated onstage during remarks by the former President. Mr. Clinton then introduced Abouelnaga, who addressed the audience and explained how Practice Makes Perfect pairs academically struggling middle school students with high-achieving high school students within the same inner-city communities.

Last year Practice Makes Perfect received a $10,000 grant from Ernst & Young, a $5,000 grant from High Peaks Hospitality, won the Robinson Appel Humanitarian Award, and attracted 175 donors with sponsorship from Brickwell Cycling to help fund its programming.  In just one year, Practice Makes Perfect was able to triple its outreach by serving 150 students across three New York City boroughs. This summer Abouelnaga says the organization expects to expand its outreach even further, to serve 500 socioeconomically disadvantaged students at ten inner-city schools across New York City.

“It’s inspiring to witness the power of CGI U students, whose energy, ideas, optimism and determination continually expand the possibilities for public service,” said Chelsea Clinton, who serves on the board of the Clinton Foundation.

Aboulenaga will graduate from Cornell University in May and will work full time to expand the reach of the organization he founded with four Cornell classmates. “President Clinton has been an incredible role model for me ever since I learned that we share very humble beginnings,” said Abouelnaga.

About Practice Makes Perfect, Inc.

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by six Cornell students on the premise that all children – regardless of race or socioeconomic status – have equal potential to compete intellectually in our society. Practice Makes Perfect aims to narrow the achievement gap by pairing academically struggling middle school students with high-achieving high school students within the same inner-city neighborhoods, and places them under the supervision of college interns, for a academic intensive summer program.

About CGI U

The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) brings together college students to address global challenges with practical, innovative solutions. CGI U participants do more than simply discuss problems – they take concrete steps to solve them by creating action plans, building relationships, participating in hands-on workshops, and following up with CGI U as they complete their projects. Previous CGI U meetings have taken place at Tulane University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, the University of California at San Diego, and the George Washington University, and have convened more than 4,500 students from nearly 750 schools, more than 130 countries, and all 50 states. To learn more, visit cgiu.org.

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Contact: Danielle Chase, Public Relations

danielle.chase@pmpnyc.org

www.pmpnyc.org

www.facebook.com/pmpnyc

Inner-city Public School Graduate Swims, Bikes, and Runs for $10,000 to Create Educational Opportunities

 Bicycle donated by Brickwell Cycling & Multisports

New York. (July 26, 2012) – On August 5^th, Karim Abouelnaga, a graduate of Long Island City High School, and current Cornell University student, will be competing in a triathlon to raise money for Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., a nonprofit devoted to providing poor and struggling inner-city school students with mentorship and resources that are beyond the reach of their inner-city schools. The 25^th Annual Central Park Triathlon consists of a quarter-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride, and a three-mile run.

Karim is an industrious first-generation college student that has earned over $300,000 in scholarships to make his studies possible. After graduating from Long Island City High School, Karim and four other Cornell students founded Practice Makes Perfect with the aim of sharing the strategies that worked for them to help students emulate their successes. Practice Makes Perfect pairs fourth graders with high achieving ninth graders for an academic-intensive summer program. Through tutoring and mentorship, students avoid the typical summer-learning-loss, which studies from the National Association for Summer Learning have shown can be up to 30% of learning acquired throughout the academic year. This summer, Practice Makes Perfect is operating out of Long Island City, Queens; Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; and Harlem, Manhattan.

To raise the stakes for this year’s triathlon, Karim and his team set a goal of engaging 500 people in their cause to raise $10,000 for Practice Makes Perfect. With just days left before the race, their team has raised over $6,000 and engaged over 100 unique donors. To help reach this ambitious goal, the founders have pledged to match every donation dollar for dollar through their internships until their target is met.

Karim has also received a sponsorship from Brickwell Cycling & Multisports of Great Neck, New York. “I am incredibly grateful to Brickwell Cycling for their generosity and belief in our mission,” Karim said. The company has donated a Trek 2200, valued around $1,800, for Karim to train with and use during the 12-mile bike ride portion of the triathlon.

Donations are still being accepted until they reach their goal and can be made online at http://pmpnyc.org/donate-today/tri

About Practice Makes Perfect, Inc.

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by five Cornell Students on the premise that all children – regardless of race or socioeconomic status – have equal potential to compete intellectually in our society. Practice Makes Perfect aims to narrow the achievement gap by pairing fourth graders with high-achieving ninth graders within the same inner-city communities, under the supervision of college interns, for a seven-week academic intensive summer program.

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Contact: Danielle Chase, Public Relations

www.pmpnyc.org

www.facebook.com/pmpnyc

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., Launches its Second Educational Summer Program

To Provide Tutoring to Fourth Graders in Three New York City Schools

Studies have shown that the two-and-a-half-month summer break typically leads to a learning loss of 25-30 percent of gains made during the school year.   In contrast, fourth grade students who participated in last year’s Practice Makes Perfect summer program raised their reading levels by 4 percent and their math levels by 6 percent on mock New York State assessment exams.

The seven-week intensive academic program is being partially funded by a $10,000 grant from Ernst & Young as well as a series of fundraisers.  Practice Makes Perfect was the winner of Ernst & Young’s 2012Your World, Your Vision campus competition that invited students to submit proposals for programs that would positively impact their community.  The proposal was also to be broad enough to be enacted on a national or global level.

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc., is a nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by five Cornell Students on the premise that all children – regardless of race or socioeconomic status – have equal potential to compete intellectually in our society. Practice Makes Perfect aims to narrow the achievement gap by pairing fourth graders with high-achieving ninth graders within the same inner-city communities, under the supervision of college interns, for a seven-week academic intensive summer program.

Practice Makes Perfect, Inc. Competes for $50K Grant to Narrow the Achievement Gap 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NYC, NY / November, 08, 2011

After a successful pilot program this past summer, Practice Makes Perfect (PMP), Inc. is competing for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant to expand its operations. The $50,000 will be used to operate four different programs at three different sites across NYC, extending the program’s impact to over two hundred students next summer.

PMP employs ambitious teenagers to mentor and tutor struggling students in elementary and middle school in an effort to subside the summer learning loss and narrow the achievement gap.

“By pairing high school students with elementary students, the program [PMP] supplements the mentorship and guidance that is limited within inner-city households because of the demand on parents’ time,” says Nicolas Savvides, who co-founded and spear-headed the pilot program at Long Island City High School.

“For the past week we have been in the top 20 and have gotten as close as ranking 11th, but we need all of the support we can get because only the top 10 receive the $50,000 grant.” Voting is simple and can be done by texting 109709 to PEPSI (73774) or online at www.refresheverything.com/pmp.

One of the obstacles that Andre Perez points out is that “it is a daily competition and we don’t want to annoy people by sending reminders everyday but $50,000 is a lot money.” Everyday voting resets and people can re-vote.

About Practice Makes Perfect, Inc.

PMP narrows the achievement gap by pairing under-achieving fourth graders with high-achieving ninth graders under the supervision of college interns within the same inner-city communities for an intensive academic seven-week summer program.

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Contact Practice Makes Perfect, Inc:

Karim Abouelnaga, President

practicemakesperfectnyc@gmail.com

In 2010, Karim founded Practice Makes Perfect, an intensive summer program that pairs struggling inner city middle school students with high achieving high school students in the same neighborhoods for academic help and mentorship. Looking back on his experiences as the son of Egyptian immigrants, raised on government aid by a single mother, Karim explains that “Where I am from, most poor minority children forfeit their dream because they have difficulty marshaling the resources they need to succeed in the classroom.” In the last two years, Practice Makes Perfect has helped over 200 low income students across New York City, and has raised over $50,000. In 2012, it was named one of the top 16 most dynamic commitments worldwide at the 5th annual Clinton Global Initiative University Conference. In May, Karim will be the first in his family to graduate from college and states that Practice Makes Perfect is “nothing short of my purpose.”

All of the features can be read here: http://www.peacefirst.org/prize/peacemaker-profiles

The full article can be read here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/young-peacemakers/