Today we’d like to introduce you to Jowan Smith.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my work when I was trying to help my daughter get prepared for college. There weren’t many resources for parents to be a part of the college prep process in middle school. I started to do research and was able to get my daughter scouted. Other parents saw that and wanted me to help them as well. It turned into a full-time hobby. In 2017 I entered the Cleveland Leadership Center Accelerate competition. I won the education category for my educational consulting firm Getting Our Babies to College 101.
One of my judges was Eric Gordon with CMSD and he invited me to come in and speak with his team about adding my program to the district. I tell people my business had a body before it had legs because I had to create the business very quickly so that I could get right to work with the families. Over the next few years, I added 7 other districts to the list that we provide service to the families and scholars. In 2018 I watched my son teach himself how to put on a tie on YouTube. This gave me the idea to create an event where men from the community could teach young men how to put on a tie and other important skills.
We put tie donation boxes at different businesses all over Cleveland including the library. That way the community could be a part of the movement by donating new and gently used ties. I set a goal of 1,000 Ties and that became the name of the movement. The first year we collected over 1,000 Ties for our event. The first event was done in partnership with Cleveland Schools. At the event, we had workshops, activities, resources, and even a workshop for the moms.
After the event, I felt like we needed to do more than one day, and I created the mentoring program. With this program, we could work with them all year teaching them life skills. Skills like changing a tire, chess, archery, dining etiquette, and so much more. Currently, we are about to have our 3rd Annual event at Warrensville Heights High School and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. We also have our community-based mentoring program with monthly virtual sessions. We run a school-based program inside of Wade Park School, Invictus High School, and Milkovich Middle School. Our goal is to help eliminate barriers for young men aged 10-18 starting with something as simple as a tie. We also match our young men with mentors that are everyday men from the community. I have also published three children’s books since 2020 and 20% of profits are donated to the 1,000 Ties organization.
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 has not been a smooth road. As a parent sometimes we don’t feel heard or seen so having that as my platform made some districts hesitant about bringing the programming in. Sometimes it would take multiple meetings and references from other districts for them to book with us. I have worked hard to build the brand and I also take pride in maintaining the integrity of the work. With the nonprofit, funding has been a major issue.
Now that it’s getting more traction we have been able to get more grant funding, but it was definitely hard and was funded 100% by me for the first year and a half.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
1,000 Ties is a nonprofit with the goal of helping our young men eliminate barriers starting with something as simple as a tie. We have our community-based and school-based mentoring program. We also have an annual event for young men all over Cuyahoga County and their families.
The young men that we work with are primarily African Americans aged 10-19.
I’m the CEO and Publicist of the agency. I create the curriculum for the boys and book all of the workshop presenters. I also manage the website for the organization. I’m known for being a mom that goes above and beyond to help other parents and their children. I’m known for giving a voice to those that haven’t found their voice yet. I’m known as the Tie Lady and the College Lady.
What sets us apart is that our programming is designed for young men. We also have a great partnership with TRI C that allows our boys to participate in STEM programming on campus. I’m proud of the fact that we have worked with young men and they appreciate us so much that they come back and become mentors. I’m proud of the fact that people hear the word 1,000 Ties and they know that we are all about helping our young men.
I want readers to know that we are here to help break the cycle of generational poverty one tie at a time. With help of men from the community and our curriculum, we can be a part of the change. We understand it takes more than one piece to make a puzzle.
How do you think about happiness?
It makes me happy every time I see a young man learn how to put on a tie and he wears it with pride. The level of confidence that you see makes everyone smile. It’s amazing how something as simple as a tie can be so life-changing.
Contact Info:
- Email: 1000ties216@gmail.com
- Website: www.1000ties.net
- Instagram: 1000.ties
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/nR0j2-LMMVg
