THRIVE
Empowering our Youth.
Building a Better Gang.

“I love it when the Center is open.  I come here all the time!” 

In the world of public housing and urban neighborhoods, the world can be a cold, unfriendly place for a 10 year old—alone and adrift while Mom is at work.  

Martha O’Bryan Center’s youth programs are a bright light for children and teens living in and around east Nashville.  Families are not always able to provide them with basic needs let alone the opportunities they dream of attaining. 

Raising strong children is a challenge for any parent, but our families must meet these challenges without the basic resources we can take for granted—good jobs, safe neighborhoods, extended family support, good schools and reliable transportation

So what do we do to make sure that these bright wonderful kids find success as young people, and ultimately workers and citizens?

At Martha O’Bryan Center, successfully addressing these issues and providing caring compassion is an everyday way of life.  We have earned a solid reputation in Nashville and with our parents, as a place where children will learn, study, serve and experience the world beyond public housing.

Simply put, we are “Building a Better Gang.”  We teach our kids to build their dreams on the solid rock of faith, hard work, kindness, and academic rigor so that they can persevere, serve and lead.  And the benefits of joining our “gang” —short term and long term—trump anything and everything that the streets can offer.

Our THRIVE youth program is based on the knowledge that kids coming from poor neighborhoods and schools need six assets: Family support, academic success, social skills, exposure to the outside world, service learning and love.  With this foundation, our kids will succeed.  They will close the achievement gap because they are eager and they are talented.  Our job is to inspire them and walk with them.

Providing opportunities for families to grow and youth to be confident and directed is the work of MOB Youth Development.  Join us!  Your partnership can start with something as simple as a warm fleece jacket.