Knowledge to Enable Your Success Inc

Thus far, KEYS impact has been facilitated through creatively designing initiatives that reach beneficiaries while minimizing organization expenses. I've operated largely as a one-woman team, designing initiatives, managing programs, sourcing scholarship benefactors, recruiting volunteers, creating and disseminating materials etc. through passion and commitment to serve. However, there's lots to be done, where finances are required for efficient impact, including:

- The facilitation of a management, leadership, development program. KEYS  supports youth in reaching their full, unique potential, identifying their interests, developing and equipping them to become the region's next generation of leaders, to tackle regional UN SDG challenges aligned with their interests. 

- I've largely relied on word of mouth and the use of social media to disseminate information about the opportunities KEYS provides to Caribbean youth and globally to supporters and volunteers. The organization's website is a WIP which I'd love to have completed this summer. This and professional materials need to be created for organization and program marketing.

- One of my visions for KEYS is to be able to financially support the entrepreneurship and innovation of under-served communities; to incorporate a micro-funding venture aimed at servicing young entrepreneurs and other persons from under-served communities.

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I've always been the outlier. E.g. I was the first CUNY student who formed international student and diversity organizations to promote unity and fight against injustice and inequitable treatment. I share this to emphasize my years of breaking ground to gain access to information and opportunities, to pave a way forward for others. Reflecting on this constant struggle, I realized how much more could've been accomplished with help. Fortunately, I had the strength to persevere but what about others who didn't? 

Herein lies my motivation and the catalyst for KEYS. While living in the US, I wanted to reach back and support Caribbean development. People shouldn't be pigeonholed into poverty, because of their origins or mistakes. I use my experience to affect change to help disadvantaged persons find their voice, develop their passions; underprivileged Caribbean youth get a fair chance to excel through access to quality education, resources and development opportunities. It's imperative that the notion that poor children are inferior and either can't learn or don't have the capacity for learning, be dispelled. KEYS became an extension of this work and vision; to plant seeds of prosperity into young developing minds and seeds of change into others. 

Some Caribbean islands have seen a steady decline in literacy and growing impact on individuals, families, nations and the region. KEYS, having identified literacy and education as fundamental keys to success, focuses on creating initiatives to tackle these issues. Why is this important? The Caribbean is largely impacted by global decisions, at table where we largely don't have seats/voices or are under-represented. To change this, our youth must be developed to hold their own regionally and globally. 

Hence, KEYS' focus on the UN SDGs. By investing in our youth's literacy and education and developing their interests and skills, we ensure their successful transition from primary to tertiary education and beyond; that the Caribbean has a multi-faceted, diverse, empowered, socially responsible army of talent working across all facets of development to secure their own futures. In doing so, KEYS aims to foster diversity and unity, while simultaneously tackling regional and global issues.

Literacy is a major global issue. In LATAM and the Caribbean, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 9% of over 15's are completely illiterate and many more are functional illiterate. Illiteracy disproportionately affects the under-served, widening the socioeconomic gap and low levels of literacy, and education hinder economic development.

KEYS isn't a cookie cutter organization. Rather than blindly throw money at a problem or "doing good for goodness sake", KEYS does the groundwork; goes directly to the source, speaks to various actors, delves into the issues and designs solutions that are geared specifically to the need.  Every issue is meticulously addressed through a combination of formal project management and Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA). I'm PMP certified and a PDIA Practioner.  ("PDIA, is a step-by-step approach which helps you break down your problems into its root causes, identify entry points, search for possible solutions, take action, reflect upon what you have learned, adapt and iterate. It's a dynamic process with tight feedback loops that allows you to build your own solution to your problem that fits your local context".)

Among other innovative examples, KEYS approach of tackling all of the SDGS simultaneously and long-term is innovative in and of itself since, organizations generally tackle only one at a time. 

The impact and inroads KEYS has made with very limited resources speaks volumes to the creative ways we've been able to make lemonade out of lemons. See attached reports showing a a new program enrollee's term progress (shared with permission).

My career has been in financial services but I've always been involved and increasingly more towards public service. Approximately 3 years ago, I was involved in a car accident and as is usually the case, I was forced to question my life choices and ultimately decided to pursue public service full-time, despite my disabilities. 

A good organization needs a good leader so I enrolled into the HKS Mid-Career MPA Edward. Mason Program for motivational leaders from developing countries who have a record of determination to advance positive growth and change in your country or region. I thought it important to effectively prepare myself to be a good leader not just in designing initiatives, but in public policy and administration so that I can have a legitimate voice in advocating for and implementing change. I've pursued various sub programs like child protection; management, leadership & development; and environmental sustainability. 

This learnings coupled with the grass-roots think thank like approach KEYS has more recently adapted through volunteer professional's input, has highlighted various areas of development, which have been integrated into our strategic growth plans. To that end, we're also continually engaging and recruiting new innovative persons to move KEYS forward.