Delta Academy

“Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Preparing Young Women for the 21st Century”

The Delta Academy was created out of an urgent sense that bold action was needed to save our young females (ages 11-14) from the perils of academic failure, low self-esteem, and crippled futures.  Delta Academy provides opportunity for Delta Chapters across the nation to enrich and enhance the education that our young teens receive in school.  Specifically, we augment their scholarship in math, science and technology; their opportunities to provide service in the form of leadership through service learning; and their sisterhood, defined as the cultivation and maintenance of relationships. A primary goal of the program is to prepare young girls for full participation as leaders in the 21st Century.  Delta chapters plan and implement varied activities based upon the needs of the early adolescents in their communities.  The activities implemented most often include computer training, self-esteem and etiquette workshops, field trips for science and concerts.  During Academy sessions, activities are, in most cases, presented in math, science, technology, and self-esteem, non traditional careers, service learning, and book clubs.  Field trips are also planned to museums and sites that would enhance the knowledge of the girls in our focal areas. The symbol for Delta Academy is the Dream Catcher.  A Dream Catcher in Native American culture is believed to possess the power to capture bad dreams entangling them in the web, thus allowing only the good dreams to pass through to the center of the dream hoop into the person’s being.

The purpose of the Academy is to prepare young women for the 21st century by:

• Providing opportunities to young ladies between the ages of 11-14 whom might otherwise be excluded due to lack of financial resources, gender, age and parental resources
• Exposing young ladies to math, science, leadership and non-traditional careers
• Introducing the importance of community service
• Assisting the young ladies in recognizing that dreams and aspirations do come true by avoiding the perils of academic failure, low self-esteem, peer pressure and negative influences
• Creating a sisterly relationship among the Academy participants
• The Principles of the Academy are Scholarship, Service Learning, and Sisterhood