Your future is full of possibilities, it's Your Advance.
We are Your Advance, a not-for-profit organization in Manatee County founded on June 1st, 2020, to address summer learning loss and student achievement gaps by establishing virtual and in-person learning programs for students in K-12 schools.
In the Suncoast region, the population experiences many financial challenges, with 11% of residents below the poverty line.* Families who cannot access essential and necessary tutoring services cannot be offered these opportunities for their child to enrich their learning. Locally, these students in Manatee and Sarasota witness districtwide achievement gaps that pose a barrier to successful learning. A recent report conducted by the School District of Manatee County, more than a quarter of all district students, 27% of total students, are failing one or more coursing as of the end of the fall semester of 2020.**
With this need, Your Advance's programs and community-orientated tutoring efforts will help engage students to continually learn and reinforces academic content outside of the classroom setting. Through its launch in the summer of 2020, Your Advance will close gaps in learning for all students regardless of financial hardships. We will meet or exceed the goals of successfully preparing and addressing summer learning loss to inspire students to dream big. Our organization will drive students who are willing to commit and challenge themselves in their academia to achieve excellence beyond the classroom and school year for society's benefit.
*U.S. Census Bureau Data from 2019
**School District of Manatee County/Florida Department of Education Spring 2021 Educational Plan and Assurance
Greetings from the
Executive Director
Welcome to Your Advance,
My name is Denny Lu, founder, and Executive Director. Your Advance is a not-for-profit organization profit based in Manatee and Sarasota counties dedicated to helping families, regardless of their socio-economic challenges, navigate their child's success in their academic endeavors. Our leadership team and expansive network of hard-working volunteer instructors can provide these impactful services to our community without any cost to our families. The Your Advance website is our presentation to the public of our commitment to our community, and we appreciate you for taking the time to visit us virtually. We are entirely operated by hard-working, mission-driven minds who are all high-achieving high school students who want to see our community correctly for a better tomorrow. Here at Your Advance, we appreciate the time you have taken out of your day to learn more about what we do and our vision for our community. Feel free to reach out to me or any member of the leadership team on our "Contact" page if you are interested in contributing to our organization or would like to share your support and feedback. Thank you for your support, and let's advance the Suncoast for a brighter future together.
Best Wishes,
Denny Lu
Executive Director
Meet the Board of Directors
The Your Advance Executive Leadership team consists of experienced and high-achieving high school scholars who have come together to share their passion for inspiring the students in our community to achieve beyond the classroom.
Our Volunteer Instructors
At Your Advance, our Volunteer Instructors not only tutor students in Manatee and Sarasota County, but also inspire success as a mentor. They provide countless hours of support with Your Advance and are instrumental to our success as an organization. We are very appreciative for their commitment of service for our communities.
Mission
Your Advance will provide an opportunity for students to continue and advance their learning
beyond the classroom today for their future tomorrow.
Purpose
Your Advance will aim to reduce the achievement gap amongst disadvantaged students through competitive and accessible opportunities to constantly advance their knowledge, reduce the loss of learning material, and better prepare for the challenges of classes for the upcoming school year.
Values
Your Advance emphasizes inclusivity with access to educational opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, or disabilities. We believe that every student who is willing to continue their learning beyond the bounds of the academic school year deserves the chance to succeed. At Your Advance, we believe every student has the opportunity to be SMART: Skillful, Masterly, Able, Ready, and Talented.