STREETS Ministries

STREETS Ministries, through the love of Jesus Christ, engages, encourages, and equips youth to achieve their potential by realizing their God-given purpose. This is achieved through after school and weekend programming offered at two campuses, which provide students safety, recreation, tutoring, and a range of extra-curricular activities. *While faith is an optional program component, children of all backgrounds are welcome and participate in STREETS programs. STREETS was founded in 1987 by Ken Bennett in the 38126 zip code, which, at the time, was one of the poorest urban census tracts in the nation. STREETS’ vision has always been to create a safe and encouraging place for students. Originally, this was accomplished through recreation but programming has since expanded to include mentoring and tutoring. In 2012, STREETS grew to include a second location at Graham Heights, and now serves nearly 300 students each day between the two locations. The Graham Heights location primarily serves middle school and high school-aged students, but our proximity to Kingsbury Elementary has afforded us the opportunity to offer a literacy program to elementary age students called STREETS Smart. STREETS exists to support and shape the whole child, while also improving educational outcomes and laying a foundation for success. As children develop emotional and physical health, mentoring and tutoring support their mental and emotional growth.

STREETS offers structured programming daily to help students experience growth in their academics, recreation activities, and spiritual life. Students hear the Gospel through weekly Block Parties, where food, games, and skits are used to share a devotion. Weekly Bible Studies are also offered, allowing students to dive deeper into Scripture. Educational growth is offered through ACT prep, literacy classes, college tours, homework lab activities, mentoring, and tutoring. Recreation activities include music, art and dance classes, basketball teams, board games, weightlifting, and other seasonal sports.