The Alpha Esquires of Indianapolis Youth Mentoring Program cultivates Leadership, Scholarship, and Brotherhood amongst adolescent boys through academic, social, career, and community service programming.

History

With the nationwide implementation of the Project Alpha program in 1980, the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated in Indianapolis have hosted several youth initiatives in the city. These programs, specifically for young men, were in response to the nation’s growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, along with alarming rises in teen pregnancies. In the 1990s and 2000s, the Iota Lambda Chapter hosted earlier versions of today’s program, which included activities around manhood, professionalism, and community activism.

In 2017, the Iota Lambda Chapter began focusing more support toward educational programming and established a more substantial and impactful mentoring presence within the Indianapolis community. Thus, the Alpha Esquires of Indianapolis Youth Mentoring Program was created. The program started as a pilot program, which facilitated workshops for ten young men at Charles A. Tindley Accelerated School.

Today, the program has over 30 participants. Past Esquires have attended schools such as Morgan State University, Ohio State University, Marian University, Hampton University, and North Carolina A&T University. We are proud that one of the program’s first graduates went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from Howard University.