Our Mission

Midtown-Metro guides low-income urban youth in Chicago along pathways of success. Our proven enrichment programs embrace the dignity of the person by focusing on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement. 

 

About Us

Midtown-Metro operates through its Metro Achievement Center for girls and Midtown Achievement Center for boys in grades 3 – 12. Programs focus on Hispanic and African American youth, offering after-school and summertime growth opportunities that help students of average academic ability to achieve above-average results. Programs are rooted in Catholic moral and social teaching and embrace students regardless of their religious, racial, ethnic, or familial status. Midtown-Metro received its original inspiration from Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church, and continues today its partnership with Opus Dei.

Midtown-Metro’s approach can be remembered with the help of an acronym that also describes every child it serves: “A V.I.P.”

  • The “A” stands for ACADEMICS. Midtown-Metro enables children to compete in college-prep high schools and then enter good colleges.

  • The “V” stands for basic VIRTUES. Civic virtue and moral character are taught along with academics.

  • The “I” stands for INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION. We believe the best motivation is personal friendship and attribute a large part of the success of our programs to the individual mentoring each student receives.

  • The “P” stands for PARENTS. Midtown-Metro operates on the principle that parents are the primary educators of their children. We provide valuable support through educational seminars on parenting, one-on-one consultations, and more.

 

Our Vision

Chicago’s urban youth will be inspired and guided to positively transform their lives, families, and communities.

 

The Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers of the future will continue to advance new ideas and services that profoundly improve life in the inner city.               

We envision a city where at-risk children are hopeful and excited about their futures, and confident and capable of realizing their full potential in school and later in life. They build healthy and respectful interpersonal relationships with family and friends.

We imagine a home life where parents in low-income communities, empowered with the knowledge and fortitude necessary to raise children in a challenging environment, take a lead role in their children’s education and holistic development. Their love, guidance, encouragement, and example help boys and girls mature into men and women of outstanding character.

We foresee neighborhoods and workplaces where young people from underserved communities become responsible parents, competent professionals, and leading citizens. They grow into life-long learners, exercise sound judgment in their daily affairs, and value service to others.  Others look up to them and seek out their advice.

As Midtown-Metro expands its reach and influence in the years ahead, its alumni population will grow, prosper and serve as a continuing source of inspiration and guidance for countless persons and the community at large.

 

Our Values

Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers (“MMAC”) guide low-income urban youth in Chicago along pathways of success.  Our proven enrichment programs embrace the dignity of the person by focusing on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement.

At the heart of MMAC’s programs is virtue development. Virtue is taught in all aspects of the programs, and we promote a virtuous environment throughout our venues (MMAC offices, Metro Achievement Center for girls, and Midtown Center for boys).  The virtues we teach grow out of human nature.  They are also integral to the teachings of the Catholic Church, which MMAC follows on all moral and social issues.  A description of these teachings is found in The Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

The following are some key virtues we subscribe to: 

●      Joy and optimism in life, based on awareness of being loved by God;

●      Generosity in developing one’s talents as fully as possible;   

●      Respect for all persons from conception to natural death; 

●      An attitude of service and compassion towards everyone based on the inherent dignity of each human being; 

●      Kindness and charity toward all persons;

●      Fortitude and self-control in confronting life’s challenges;

●      Good judgment and fairness in decision making;

●      Personal humility that leads to living and working well with others and being quick to forgive; 

●      Diligent work that leads one to study hard and value her or his education;

●      Honoring one’s parents and respecting the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children;

●      Respect for the moral laws given by God (i.e., Ten Commandments) – do not kill, do not lie, do not steal, do not covet things that don’t belong to you, etc.; and

●      A firm conviction of the importance of the family and respect for proper use of sexuality within marriage.

These qualities are the foundation for a happy life, which is what we desire for the girls and boys who come to Metro and Midtown.