RELAY Next: Research, Education, Literacy, & Assistance for Youth

What we offer youth communities

  • Our organization employs opportunities for youth to explore research through creative means to further enhance reading, writing, study skills, and comprehension by allowing them to focus on topics of interest to them.

    We help them expand their vision and see a world of opportunities in a different light, allowing them to see beyond the boundaries of an education, and the possibilities of business ownership.

  • We provide youth with the skillsets necessary to adapt in an ever-changing world, teaching them to embrace diversity with a positive mindset focused on uniting their communities rather than dividing.

  • One of our core topics of focus is on literacy. We want to ensure all youth are given opportunities and are encouraged to embrace reading. Reading is still one of the best ways to enhance one’s vocabulary, intellect, and skillsets. By providing book give aways, we ensure every child has an opportunity to learn to enjoy learning.

    Literacy not only refers to the comprehension from readying, but also understanding the dynamics of financial literacy. It’s important to teach our children responsible habits so that once they have achieved the success they’ve prepared for, they are able to make practical and sound decisions.

  • No one wants to feel inadequate. We provide mentoring, tutoring, testing, homework assistance, guidance in developing healthy study skills, effective prioritizing, and embracing the art of decision making.

    We foster an environment that teaches children how to best deal with challenges in a healthy manner and encourage them to understand the their mental health is as important as their physical health. It is vital that as a society, we take care of not just ourselves, but one another.

  • Our concepts require youth to engage with others requiring the omission of egos, biases, and/or excuses for failure. These are important skillsets that will serve young people well throughout their adulthood.

Successfully molding young minds since 1986

In the mid-1980s, Ted L. Mangum, a US Army veteran of the Vietnam War had a vision to foster greater opportunities for youth who could easily be dismissed in society. He would remove labels, crutches, and excuses for failure and replace them with developmental tools and skills to prepare them for success.

The Evolution: 1986-RELA, Inc > 1991-RELAY, Inc. > 2000-America's Child RELAY > 2024-RELAY Next

Student Testimonials

  • "Having repeated a grade and simply hating to read, I simply could not believe that less than a year later, at 9 or 10 years old, I was helping to produce my own TV show and broadcasting it to the community."

    Nicole Brown-Slaughter

    Freelance Professional Videographer/Photographer

  • "In applying to college, I simply used most of the things and my experiences with RELAY. RELAY was not about video production. It was about the whole arena of “information technology”. Who would have thought that that would be what the world is based on today.”

    Evan Sloan

    Corporate Safety & Risk Management Leader

  • "We gave away so many books to kids in the community. Even though I started RELAY at 8 years old, I was impressed with how much good we did for kids in the community who weren’t a part of RELAY. People thought that RELAY was just for black kids or “underprivileged” children. But while its true a lot of black kids took advantage of the opportunities offered by RELAY, it was always open to all children, regardless of race, social or economic status. We did a lot of good.”

    Rashida Mangum

    Technical Business Analyst

  • When I was a kid, I dreamed of doing things that might ordinarily be deemed out of reach. But RELAY really put all of those things in reach: interviewing notable historical figures, learning TV production, shooting television shows. Kids need to see themselves in the spaces they one day hope to claim as their own. RELAY gave me the fundamental lifelong skills that are the keys to any space I wish to navigate professionally.

    Sean Akil Wingate

    TV Presenter - Filmmaker

  • "I feel like my experience with RELAY was akin to the Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi: I never realized the ongoing impact the skills I learned would ultimately have on my career. Not only did the exposure to advanced technologies catalyze my interest in engineering, but the soft skills like teamwork, project management, & problem-solving have been prevalent in every aspect of my profession.

    Nilaja Mangum-Goins

    Software Engineer/Entreprenuer

  • "As a teacher and in my present capacity as an Instructional Resource Teacher at East Wake Middle School responsible for in-house teacher training; my experiences with RELAY has made my life a lot easier, because I can do video, power point presentations and a lot of practical skills I learned at an early age.”

    Karen Harris-Alston

    Educator

  • "When I did my undergrad at Xavier (La.), I’d be in the room with a group of Mass Communications & TV Production majors, and I’d know exactly what they were talking about because of RELAY. They didn’t believe that I’d had my own TV show at 14-15 years old.”

    Dr. Mayisha White-Dunham, MD, MBA

    Assistant Professor

  • "It [RELAY] was like a job. We worked hard and we learned “responsibility” at an early age. We met so many important people, who didn’t know who we were--but were impressed by our professionalism and how well we conducted ourselves. I’ll always treasure my RELAY experiences.”

    Tia Monroe-Hill

    NC A&T Graduate, School of Engineering