Acceler8 launches Los Angeles program to unite youth with Law Enforcement in automotive passion to avoid life of crime
In the midst of an unprecedented global situation, a small group of Law Enforcement veterans are seeking to make a difference in their communities. Faced with routine calls to intercede in situations involving local youth, and often seeing their crimes escalate over time, Acceler8 was created to offer kids an alternative.
The Acceler8 program aims to expose men and women aged 14-24 to the automotive industry and the many opportunities it holds. The mission is to teach skills to high school students who are at risk and build them into leaders. The program will develop positive relationships with Law Enforcement mentors at a critical time in their lives.
The Acceler8 Education Program will leverage a shared enthusiasm for automobiles between the students and Law Enforcement instructors in order to provide a common ground for students and mentors to bond while also imparting a skill. The students participate in classroom activities and hands-on auto repair. They will study car design and development while practicing on real project cars, learning the safe use of equipment, auto body repair skills, painting, wiring, tire changing and other fundamental skills.
Other items on the curriculum include training in career and life skills, including resume and interview techniques, team building, communication, online and in-person etiquette, as well as social skills.
The Accelerate Education Group (Acceler8) is an independent non-profit organization supported by the Los Angeles Police Protective League. It is committed to providing substantive alternatives to crime and substance abuse that will change lives and help build future leaders in Los Angeles County.
THE TEAM
Acceler8 is led by Sergeant Charles Woodruff and Senior Officer Derrick Boykins. As the CEO and a Board Member, Charles grew up in Oxnard, CA where he began his career with the Oxnard Police Department in 1993, initially as a reserve police officer but ultimately becoming fulltime in 1996. He was involved in many different assignments, such as SWAT, motor officer, gang detective, narcotics detective, and eventually reached Sergeant in 2014.
In addition, Woodruff has been involved in community programs for the past 15 years, from mentoring to being a high school basketball coach. However, life took a tragic turn when Woodruff tried to help a young man avoid gang involvement, only to later find him lying dead in the street as the result of gang violence. It was at this moment Woodruff knew he needed to do more and in 2008 he co-founded a successful automotive after-school program in Oxnard. Its success encouraged Woodruff to expand its reach to Los Angeles County.
In a meeting with LAPD officer Derrick Boykins, both men expressed a shared interest in the same approach to helping Los Angeles youth and together they developed the enhanced education program, Acceler8.
As the COO and Board Member, Boykins joined LAPD after leaving the United States Marine Corps in 2008. He wanted to improve the community in which he was raised. During his tenure with the department he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Justice and Security, and while working in various specialized units, has always preserved his core values.
Boykins has made it his life’s mission to help build a brighter future through developing talent and providing guidance to youth. Together with Woodruff, they formed Acceler8 with the mission to “Teach the skills of today, to build the leaders of tomorrow.”
FOUR PILLARS FOR SUCCESS
The Accelerate Education Group operates under these four pillars for success:
Education
Providing a curriculum that can help to enhance knowledge within the automotive fieldImplementing STEM within the automotive industry to expand student capabilities and help them develop their future successAcceler8 provides weekly classes that consist of hands-on instruction from known leaders within the community to provide motivational talks to the students, and field trips to demonstrate careers within the automotive fieldClasses focus on basic mechanics, bodywork, graphic design, and marketing
Outreach
The founders of Acceler8 are two police officers who felt the need to bridge the gap between Law Enforcement and their communities, and to help guide at-risk youth towards a successful futureThe officers use their automotive experience to help mentor future leaders and keep them working towards goals that will lead to future opportunities
Engagement
Acceler8 catches the attention of potential students through state-of-the-art police vehicles The vehicles are modified to show continued growth of the students and organizationStudents are involved in the project builds to help them build confidence and a skill setAcceler8 attends car-related, community, and motorsport events to help promote the program and reach potential studentsEvents allow students to give back to their community and volunteer their time for a positive cause
Opportunity
At the end of the course, Acceler8 students will be provided opportunities to further their education through college or tech schoolsStudents will also receive job placement opportunitiesAcceler8 provides scholarships to students in order to assist with future success
GET INVOLVED
In addition to recommending students to the program, we invite the Greater Los Angeles community and automotive enthusiasts to get involved with Acceler8. As a nonprofit organization, it is funded solely by donations and sponsorships from the community. All funds raised go directly to the Acceler8 program and help to provide each student a chance to enter the automotive industry by gaining the skills needed to advance their potential while being mentored by leaders within the community. Furthermore, Acceler8 welcomes qualified volunteers to join the program to impart their knowledge and life skills either mentoring the students or providing their expertise. Please visit acceler8education.org to learn more about the Acceler8 program, to enroll a student, volunteer for the program, or to donate.
EDITOR’S NOTE
High-resolution images are available here: dropbox.com/sh/lg3uwoojmerbgh4/AABGINerMSgjBLmm0iJFrcXMa?dl=0
ABOUT ACCELER8
Accelerate Education Group (Acceler8) is an independent non-profit organization supported by the Los Angeles Police Protective League. It is committed to providing substantive alternatives to crime and substance abuse that will change the lives and help build future leaders in Los Angeles County. It does this by providing a curriculum designed to help enhance knowledge within the automotive field, as well as mentoring, life skills, job skills and hands-on experience.
Please visit acceler8education.org to learn more about the Acceler8 program, to enroll a student, volunteer for the program, or to donate.
ACCELER8 SUPPORTERS
Galpin Auto Sports (galpinautosports.com)
ID Agency (theidagency.com)
Los Angeles Protective League
PKautodesign (pkautodesign.com)
MEDIA CONTACT
Charles Woodruff at Acceler8 (Cwoodruff@acceler8education.org)
Mia Sims at ID Agency (mia@theidagency.com)
