History
Alive & Free is the name of the violence prevention program founded at the Omega Boys Club-a nationally recognized youth development and violence prevention organization headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Tired of losing their students to drugs, guns, gangs, unwanted pregnancies or death, in 1987, Joseph Marshall Jr, a middle school teacher and Jack Jacqua a middle school counselor, co-founded what was initially called the Omega Boys Club. Alive & Free's mission is to keep young people alive and free, unharmed by violence and free from incarceration. To provide young people with opportunity and support to build positive lives for themselves and to move into contributing roles in society. At the heart of the Alive & Free Prescription is the notion that violence is a social disease with an explicit treatment process. Like disease, it is transmitted by the germs of bad information, bad instruction, bad advice, and bad examples that to young people, appear to be good. Youth are expose
Specialties
Alive & Free is a life-changing program that helps young people in the Bay Area and around the world. We offer a variety of programs to help keep our community Alive & Free. Our Leadership Academy caters to those 14-24 year olds to get them ready with the math skills, critical thinking and writing skills necessary to achieve a higher education. This is a free program open to students in the Bay Area every Tuesday Night. Our Family Meeting occurs every Tuesday night at 9pm where current events, alumni, and other special guests come to speak with our class. Our College Prep Class occurs Thursdays Feb-July and is open to students who are in the Leadership Academy and are juniors, seniors or above. This is an in-depth class room setting that replicates the college classroom. Every young person has the potential to succeed. Sadly, violence - which spreads like a disease in our communities - locks up that potential and leaves young people incarcerated and, in many cases, dead. Alive & Free is the prescription that puts an end to this violence. Young people who have learned the Alive & Free prescription have a new set of life skills to make choices that help them go to college, succeed in life, and give back to their communities.