50%
Increase parent participation
15%
Reduced costs;
increasing program budget
50%
Retention Rate
Great people
do great things.
2023 Board of Directors
We have a team of professionals who are passionate about their community. Each person adds a unique gift to our organization.
2022 Kudos Program Results
Who are we?
The Konnection is a Detroit-based youth development organization helping students remain connected to school and build pathways toward lifelong success.
We understand that challenges such as unmet basic needs, transportation barriers, limited academic support, and a lack of exposure to future opportunities can affect a young person’s ability to thrive. Through afterschool programming, mentoring, attendance initiatives, essential resources, career exploration, family engagement, and travel experiences, we help remove those barriers.
Our programs strengthen school attendance, academic performance, confidence, life skills, and career readiness—important building blocks that help young people graduate, pursue postsecondary opportunities, enter meaningful careers, and achieve greater economic mobility.
Our mission is to inspire youth to broaden their horizons through positive relationships and healthy connections.
We partner
with those
who take
action.
Every sponsor contributes more than money. They believe in the vision and seek to do the best for our students.
Welcome to
The Konnection
Where passion meets purpose, and young lives are transformed.
At The Konnection, we believe every student deserves to feel seen, supported, and inspired. Through mentorship, meaningful relationships, unforgettable experiences, and essential resources, we help youth thrive—inside and outside the klassroom.
🎥 Watch how we’re changing lives, one konnection at a time.
Konnecting is
in our DNA.
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77% of
students deemed
chronically absent
Detroit Public School Community District 2021-2022 Data
Why school konnection matters...
Regular school attendance is more than a daily routine—it is an important foundation for academic achievement, graduation, career readiness, and long-term economic mobility.
When students miss school consistently, they lose valuable instructional time, relationships, resources, and opportunities that support their development. Many absences are connected to barriers outside a student’s control, including transportation challenges, unmet basic needs, family responsibilities, health concerns, and limited access to support.
The Konnection works alongside students, families, schools, and community partners to address these barriers. By helping young people attend school consistently, remain academically engaged, and see meaningful possibilities for their futures, we strengthen their pathways to graduation, postsecondary education, employment, and financial stability.
KONNECTION
KLOSETS
Resources distributed
4000+
Klosets are
Resource closets providing students with free access to hygiene items, food, clothes, shoes, and school supplies throughout the school year.
KONNECTION
KUDOS
Rewards
500+
Kudos are
A quarterly exciting out-of-the classroom adventure and celebration for students with the highest class attendance rate. Students are rewarded with certificates, gold medals, and prizes for their accomplishments!
Youth Served
80+
KONNECTION
KLUBS
Klubs are
A small-setting, afterschool program providing mentoring, academic enrichment, career exploration and travel opportunities for middle school students.
The Solution:
A Konnected
Pathway to Opportunity
Economic mobility does not begin when a young person applies for a job. It begins much earlier—with consistent school attendance, academic support, access to basic necessities, caring relationships, career exposure, and the belief that a successful future is possible.
The Konnection provides an interconnected system of support that helps students:
-
Remove barriers that interfere with school participation
-
Improve attendance and academic engagement
-
Strengthen literacy, mathematics, leadership, and life skills
-
Build relationships with mentors and trusted adults
-
Explore colleges, skilled trades, industries, and career pathways
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Hire our youth and families for various roles and opportunities
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Develop the confidence and preparation needed for life after graduation
-
Connect their families to resources that support greater stability
Together, these supports help young people move from school engagement to educational achievement, career opportunity, and long-term financial well-being.
Konnecting Youth to Education, Opportunity and Economic Mobility.
The Konnection helps Detroit youth overcome barriers, succeed in school, and prepare for financially secure futures.
Through mentorship, academic enrichment, essential resources, career exposure, family support, and unforgettable experiences, we help students feel connected today while building pathways to greater opportunity tomorrow.
Because where a child starts should never determine how far they can go.
Are you ready for the 2026 Back to School Klap In?
We're excited to host our Annual Back-to-School Klap-In at Durfee Elementary-Middle School as we welcome students for the school year! Together, we’ll clap, cheer, dance, and celebrate students as they walk into the building on their very first day of school. This high-energy community tradition helps students feel loved, supported, and excited to start the new school year strong. Join us as we create a joyful and unforgettable welcome for our kiddos!
