Exploring Life & Business with Candice Tolbert of SuperSeeds

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candice Tolbert.

Hi Candice, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started SuperSeeds after my son was suspended with “staring at a girl.” My story went international and people all over the country were reaching out to share their “black” child suspension stories. I went to the State of Ohio’s Board of Education website to pull out-of-school suspension data. The data showed that over 200,000 youth were suspended. The report broke down the reasons and the highest category of out-of-school suspensions were for “disobedient/disruptive” behavior. Once you break down the race, the majority were black youth. After further research, I found that youth not seated in the classroom feed the pipeline to prison. I wanted to do something to disrupt the pipeline to prison for youth between the ages of 13 to 17.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t. Many school administrators refuse to go against zero tolerance school policies. Even though there is a mandate for restorative practice implementation, many refuse to allow restorative programs inside the school. I was able to secure a relationship with Hamilton County Juvenile Court – Diversion to provide programming for youth to divert them from behaviors that feed the pipeline to prison.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about SuperSeeds?
SuperSeeds is unique in that we help youth to understand the real-life consequences of behavior in a transformative and restorative approach. We host a 2-Day Transformation Camp in which we take youth on a real tour to help them understand that in this country incarceration is a business. They have an opportunity to tour the jail to learn about career opportunities; to interview an inmate; to take a college tour focusing on the benefits of education; and lastly tour a local hospital to understand the real-life effects of gun violence and the need for more employees in all areas of the medical community.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That once the youth generate the spark for success, they will modify their own behavior. It doesn’t take a lot of intervention. Over 82% of the youth, report academic improvement in both grades and attendance, as well as a reduction in behavior incidents after only 2 days of the camp.

Pricing:

• $395 per camp

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.superseedscincy.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperSeedsCincy