The well being of a typical city are often measured by infrastructure, budgets, and statistics. A more tried and truer to scale measurement would be the opportunities that are provided to the everyday resident of said cities.

That idea lives inside Baltimore's Mayor's Office of African American Male Engagement, better known as MOAAME. The program is built on a simple but ambitious belief: when young Black men are surrounded by mentorship, opportunity and expectation, they can outlive the generational stigma of the old generation.

MOAAME does not promise shortcuts. Instead, it offers something tangible, a foundation. Through mentoring relationships, workforce preparation, educational support, and leadership development, participating youth are introduced to skills that outlast a single seminar or event. They learn how to perform in professional and controlled spaces, cultivate discipline, and recognize that success is often constructed one deliberate decision at a time.

The program also functions as a bridge. It closes the distance between ambition and access by connecting participants with employers, educators, community leaders, and mentors whose experiences become road mapsinstead of distant success stories. What can seem unreachable begins tolook attainable when someone has already walked the path and is willing to point the way.

MOAAME's greatest contribution cannot be listed on a résumé. Confidence is difficult to quantify, yet it often decides whether someone applies for the opportunity, asks the subjective question, or believes they belong in rooms they once viewed from the outside.

My experience and a mentee in this program have taught me various skills I would never have been exposed to previously. An example of this is golf, however small that may seem, a lot of my peers found themselves enjoying and seeing how they could build a career through the sport. The exposure to public speaking, event organization, media training, etc, have always opened new gateways for networking. The staff are always listening and finding new ways to help, teaching accountability and responsibility through countless ways. They get to know the people in their space and bring us all together and let us congregate with little intervention at times. Without something like this, and I state this wholeheartedly, I would not have what I have or be where I am today.

The success of MOAAME is not measured only by the number of participants it serves, but by the ripple effects those participants create long after the program ends. Every new leader, mentor, entrepreneur, or college graduate carries forward a lesson that cannot be captured in a statistic alone: people often rise highest when someone first believes they can.

- A workforce prep session hosted by MOAAME.

“No Handouts, No excuses, Just Moves” - The Official MOAAME Motto

Q&A Interview Section

Ms. Estep, COO of the Mayor's Office Of African American Male Engagement

What inspired you to become who you are today?

“My journey started on the football field long before I ever held a leadership title. In 1989, I became involved with youth football through the Northwood Football League then AAU sports. What began as helping with paperwork and serving as a team mom quickly became something much bigger. I saw firsthand how sports could change a young person’s life. Football wasn’t just about winning games. It was about teaching discipline, accountability, respect, and giving young people another family that believed in them. As the years passed, my purpose became even more personal. My son was stabbed, and our lives changed forever. Sitting in hospital rooms, praying, advocating, and fighting for my child opened my eyes to the reality that far too many families experience violence and trauma with little support.”

Where are you headed now?

“Today, I believe my work is just beginning. Earning my Doctor of Human Services strengthened my knowledge, but more importantly, it reinforced my responsibility to lead with both research and lived experience. My goal is to continue building programs that create lasting opportunities for young people, influence public policy, strengthen communities, and help organizations develop approaches that truly meet people where they are. I want to leave behind systems that continue serving youth long after I’m gone. My legacy isn’t about titles. It’s about changing lives and creating leaders who will continue the work.”

How successful do you feel you’ve reached the youth?

“Success isn’t measured only by numbers. It’s measured by relationships, and youth and young adults understanding their Why. When a young man or young lady who once refused to answer my calls now checks in just to tell me I got a job, that’s success. When someone returns to school, reconnects with family, earns a diploma, chooses a different path, or comes back to mentor someone else, that’s success. Not every story ends the way we hope, but I never stop believing in the potential of every young person I meet. If we can help one young person see their value and make a different decision, we’ve made an impact. I believe we’ve reached many youth because they know we genuinely care. Not just while they’re in the program, but long afterward."