BALTIMORE — It took two conversations in Tonee Lawson’s life to inspire her to start her own nonprofit dedicated to helping Baltimore’s youth. The first involved her friends recognizing talents and leadership skills she didn’t even know she had. That gave her the confidence she needed. The second involved a young girl, about to start high school, discussing her future career.
“She ended up saying no one from Baltimore ever makes it,” Lawson recalled.
That gave her the motivation she needed.
She then made it her mission to make sure no other kid in her city feels that way. Her organization, called “The Be.org”is all about setting young people up for success after high school. Through after-school programs, her team helps kids realize their full potential - building up their social skills, and matching them with technical skills, especially in the world of STEM.
“First we have to address the lack of confidence that our students have in themselves or in their ability to succeed in academics. STEM and coding is hard, I understand, but it’s not as hard as they may think.”
It’s even easier when you don’t realize you’re learning. Better yet, when it’s disguised with food. One of the nonprofit's programs uses STEM to teach kids how to cook. It’s called “The Food Playground."
“We may be working on fractions in our lab or cooking and measuring and they say, 'Oh I just had fractions in math, this is how we connect it.'”
Lawson says her organization helps pick up where the school day lets off.
“Our teachers are really tasked with a million things a day. For them to try to fit in how to effectively lead or how to effectively communicate, or how to regulate your emotions, those things get missed. But they are critical and necessary for the development of our young people.”
But for a lot of kids, seeking out programs like this might be the last thing on their mind. For some, even just attending school every day is a challenge because of things going on at home.
“We have students right now that have no lights, no electricity. We have students that go home to no meals. Or we have students that are caring for multiple siblings so their parents can work multiple jobs just to make ends meet."
Lawson wants to break down some of those barriers. Thanks to support from the Mayor’s Office, she recently expanded one program that allows kids to learn, and get paid at the same time. The kids are learning how to code, and eventually create virtual reality video games. At the end of the program, they’ll sit for an industry-recognized credential to get a leg up in the workforce.
“So there’s no need for us to have to compete with students that go out and get a part-time at McDonald's, or anywhere, to help bring in some wages and money for their family. They can come and learn and earn while doing so.”
And sometimes half the battle is just getting young people interested in a career they might not have thought was accessible to them before. That’s where programs like the “Girls Empowerment Academy” come in. It’s all about getting young women interested in STEM fields.
“It was important for me as a Black woman in tech to help our young people see what careers are out here, and being in Baltimore at the center of bio-tech and tech and STEM, all of those things, it’s important for me to be able to expose our young people to that at early ages so they know those careers are possible and attainable. And not only are they attainable, they’re in your backyard.”
So what keeps Lawson motivated herself? She says - it's knowing she’s providing a role model she wishes she had as a young woman.
“I didn’t have a 'me' when I was younger, and that was the gap that lied between me and a lot of things in my career.”
