Urban League of Broward County

The Urban League of Broward County has worked since 1975 to help African Americans and others in historically underserved communities secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. An affiliate of the National Urban League, it organizes its work around six areas: education, entrepreneurship, jobs, justice, housing and health, delivered from its Community Empowerment Center in Fort Lauderdale.

ADVANCE-U helps adults enter or re-enter the workforce through career coaching, workshops like Finding Work 101 and mock interviews, and a free certification in fields such as cybersecurity, AWS, CompTIA A+, certified nursing assistant and phlebotomy. Technology Tuesday and Thursday workshops close the digital divide. The Entrepreneurship Center's M3 model (Money, Market and Management) offers Launch, Solutions and Innovation packages plus a Small Business Loan Fund.

For young people, ABLE provides after-school tutoring and life skills for middle schoolers, the free Summer Enrichment Program serves Broward students entering grades two through eight, and the College Tour Program, Atlantic Coast Center of Excellence and Decision Day build a path to college. Crime Prevention and Intervention and Project EMBRACE use restorative justice to keep youth out of the system.

As a HUD-approved agency, the League runs a monthly First-Time Homebuyers Workshop and foreclosure prevention counseling. Healthy Start Project TOTTS and the Community Doula Support Program support expectant parents. Volunteers join after a quarterly orientation, young professionals can join the Young Professionals Network, and the Derby at Dusk Red Gala raises funds each year.