Dream Academy - Houston

Our team attended the 2025 Houston Out of School Time (HOST) Conference at Region 4 today! 🎯

The theme ‘Spotlight Afterschool’ sparked great conversations about passion, purpose, and profession with fellow Harris County out-of-school time professionals.

Grateful for the learning opportunities and connections made with other organizations serving youth. Thank you to the organizers for bringing us all together!

We’re excited to introduce our social work interns from the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work!

During their orientation we gave our interns a neighborhood tour of the neighborhoods we prioritize and serve. Understanding the historical and present-day context of these neighborhoods reflects our core values of collaboration and connectedness. We also took them to Harris County Commissioner’s Court to see how policy decisions are made and how power is exercised.

Understanding both community context and civic processes reflects our core values of collaboration and connectedness. Essential to how we do community work.

❤️ Thank You to our amazing partner Third Ward Community Cloth for supporting this internship program for 7 years!

During the Summer of 2025, we were honored to be the recipient of the County Connections Youth Summer Initiative Grant presented by the office of Harris County Precinct One, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, in the amount of $20,000.

Thank you to our partners and their staff at the Harris County Department of Education and the Commissioner’s Office, who helped secure over $1.3M to fund 50+ organizations to provide engaging summer activities to sites across Harris County. Thank you for investing in out-of-school time programming!

Come support our students selling lemonade on Saturday, May 17th!

With great excitement, we announce that Walter has received the Spirit of Excellence Award for Innovative Practices Champion from the Harris County Department of Education Congratulations, Walter!

Your 19-plus years of outstanding service at
the US Dream Academy truly embody the spirit of excellence.

Walter has distinguished himself as a Social Artist and Youth Development Strategist in Houston, TX with over 20 years of innovative work. His contributions with the U.S. Dream Academy have revolutionized mentoring approaches, empowering communities impacted by mass incarceration.

✨ Words became worlds at our Hartsfield Elementary School site! DreamKids explored their identities through powerful “I am” poems, choosing from a list of descriptors while Ms.Nia, Program Assistant, challenged them to use as many words as possible. Moving between indoor and outdoor spaces, our young dreamers crafted beautiful expressions of self that reflect our Healing-Centered Engagement approach.

At U.S. Dream Academy-Houston, we’re not just providing after-school programming—we’re creating transformative spaces where children discover their voices and potential. Through our Developmental Relationship Framework, activities like these poetry sessions help our students expand their emotional vocabulary while building the self-awareness that leads to positive outcomes. When preparation meets programming, the magic happens! ✨

✨ Celebrating the incredible impact of our Exposure Lab program in Houston’s District D! ✨

From Nov 2024 to Apr 2025, 25 middle school students embarked on a journey of career exploration and personal growth through our SHAPE tracks: Science & Technology, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, Political Science & Social Justice, and Entrepreneurialism.

From bridge-building challenges to community service projects and field trips, students discovered new passions while building lasting friendships.

Special thanks to our amazing staff and mentors Ms. Sifa and Ms. Ale who guided students through each session with dedication and care!

The personalized Exposure Lab sweatshirts featuring our student-designed shield have become symbols of pride and belonging for students. As one student shared, “I discovered something I had a passion for and didn’t know it.”

This bridge program connecting our elementary and high school initiatives has truly shown what’s possible when we invest in our youth during these critical middle school years.

We are honored to be a recipient of the 2024-25 City Connections Grant presented by CASE for Kids in partnership with the Harris County Department of Education.

Thank you, Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, District D, for your continuous support to the collective work being done by youth-serving organizations across the district.

This particular funding supports our sixth to eighth grader into the Exposure Lab program, where they enjoy a transformative experience. These talented youth are nurtured in a supportive environment, fostering positive one-to-one relationships with adults who believe in their potential. Through this program, they embark on an inspiring career exploration path, opening doors to previously unimagined possibilities and empowering them to reach for the stars.

January is National Mentoring Month!

At The U.S. Dream Academy HOUSTON, we’re not just mentoring—we’re building a movement with Men Mentor Mentality. 🚀

When men show up as mentors, we:
💡 Inspire the next generation.
💪 Model resilience, responsibility, and respect.
🤝 Create stronger, healthier communities.

This month, we’re calling on men to step up, lean in, and make a difference. Together, we can transform lives—starting with just one connection at a time.

✨ Join us in shaping the future. DM us to learn how to get involved and become a mentor today!

Happy New Year! It’s NATIONAL MENTOR MONTH and we appreciate all of our mentors, past and present. Mentoring can happen any and everywhere. Knowing the impact you can have on our youth can help pave a positive path in a child’s life. So THANK YOU for mentoring with the US Dream Academy! Check out some upcoming events we have for this month.

U.S. Dream Academy is proud to be a part of the Houston Texans Community Huddle program. Today, our fifth-grade boys got to attend the Texans vs C**t game for diligently working on their positive relationship with each other.

Today, we join over a million people across the country in celebrating the 25th Annual Lights On Afterschool, a national event highlighting the critical role afterschool programs play in supporting children, families, and communities.

Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, this event shines a spotlight on the creative, educational, and social opportunities these programs provide, from STEM activities and student art showcases to sports events and family fun nights. We are excited to continue our tradition of participating in this important celebration, showcasing the innovative and supportive ways we help our DreamKids grow and thrive!