Meet Amanda Muhammad | MAED, Youth Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Muhammad and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
RealClassE is my nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to promote competence, confidence, and build connections for underserved minorities ages 9-99 within the community.

We are taking action to address the REAL global learning crisis. School is merely a portion of a persons life. Through hands-on discovery and using pop culture references; REAL class is in session and we help minorities discover their unique talents and inspire them toward lifelong productivity.

Workshops and events are hosted by subject-matter experts that look like them covering topics empowering themselves, their community, and their culture. It is our hope to reduce the stigma put upon them by circumstance, poverty, and emotional instability. By doing so, it is our goal to develop leaders, protect the mental, emotional, and physical health of families in underserved communities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I honestly can’t say that we’re any different from any other nonprofit organization. We are simply another group of people that are part of the solution. In a world that needs so much change, it takes multiple small groups of people attacking the problems, one-at-a-time. And when necessary we collaborate to accomplish a bigger task.

It is not easy working in the start-up nonprofit world because we are not in the business to make money; we are in business to help people. It takes a lot of work to gain support and donors that are willing to believe in your vision and contribute to your cause.

I left a “good-paying” job with the government to work a nonprofit organization making no income. It was a drastic shift for my family and I. But, I felt compelled that the longer I worked in corporate America checking boxes to appease my superiors the more unfulfilled I would become. I had the career that many people longed-for, so why was I so unhappy there? I knew that my purpose was much greater and I was blessed with all of my knowledge, skills, and abilities to change the world. I knew I needed to PIVOT. I felt that I would be more effective at changing the world when the money (for-profit entity) was not the main focus. I am at peace knowing that the main focus of my nonprofit organization is serving the the community in which I reside. I am at peace knowing that when I say that my vision is to uplift the underserved community, we are doing just that!

We are addressing the parts of education that are NOT discussed in the traditional K-12 school setting. When people think education, you automatically think school and tests (BORING). There is more to education than reading, writing, math, and end-of-course tests. We offer a balanced approach so young people are educated AND know how to cook a healthy meal on a budget, understand car loans, manage a start-up business, maintain health relationships, leverage credit into cash, and mend their favorite jacket. We seek-out leading subject matter experts to host these workshops in a fun, engaging, and relevant way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would start off our day with Yoga at Piedmont Park.

Then we’ll head out for the Black History and Civil Rights Tour. Atlanta is known as ‘the Black Mecca’ and I want to show you why. We’ll visit Sweet Auburn, Civil Rights landmarks, and be immersed in Black arts and culture.

I consider myself a foodie and like to try to new places, but I still haven’t tried Slutty Vegan ATL, so we will definitely stop there for lunch. We’ll walk around Atlanta Station, shop a little or catch a movie indoors if it gets too hot.

Then we will go back home to take a nap and freshen up for dinner.

We would end our night at one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Alma Cocina Downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a special Shoutout to BOSS Networks!

We are looking forward to commencing June with our much awaited FREE community event. The star show of this event is our Juneteenth Kickball Classic tournament that we will host in partnership with BOSS Networks. Our upcoming event aims to cater to the underserved minorities in the community, highlighting the high points of Black culture. We are also geared to provide education in areas of financial literacy, business, and voter registration for our community. It’s going to be a fun-filled event, packed with excitement, thrill, and celebration. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to BOSS Networks for believing in us and for holding our hands to execute this event, without their support and contribution this event would not have been possible.

Website: www.realclasse.com