Welcome back for another United Journey profile piece. Today’s guest is Shel Simon, Baltimore native and Chief Program Officer for Next One Up.
United Journey has featured a variety of unique stories, and Shel is no exception.
What is Next One Up?
Next One Up (NOU) has been developing ever since the first weekend meet-up in 2009. Founder Matt Hanna, who was a teacher at Cristo Rey High School in Baltimore, gathered a small group of young men for study sessions and sport practices.
Next One Up, “empowers young men in Baltimore city to become the city’s next generation of leaders.”
NOU helps student-athletes to grow and market themselves in multiple ways. Mentors support academic metrics like GPA and SAT scores as well as providing the young men with the chance to showcase their community activism and leadership skills.
Next One Up is focused on connecting young men to opportunity. These opportunities include academics, leadership development, and building a sense of community.
NOU promotes education awareness through projects in STEM, creative writing, math, and financial literacy. Summer college campus visits give these young men the opportunity to envision their potential. These trips help build lasting relationships among the group.
The one-man shop from over a decade ago has transformed into a nine person staff and executive team made of founder Matt Hanna, Chief Operating Officer James Fiore, and Chief Program Officer Shel Simon.
Who is Shel Simon?
Shel Simon is a Baltimore native and graduated high school from St Paul’s School. After attending Morgan State University and the University of Maryland University College, Shel began his professional career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Around seven years ago, Next One Up Founder Matt Hanna, who was a teacher at St Paul’s School, was introduced to Shel and quickly convinced him to join Next One Up as a mentor.
Shel spent the next four years working part-time for Next One Up. Three years ago, at a fundraising event, Matt Hanna stood on stage and, without Shel’s knowledge, announced to the crowd that he was hiring Shel Simon as the Chief Programming Officer for his organization.
Since then, Simon, Hanna, Chief Operating Officer James Fiore, and the Next One Up team have developed into a well-oiled machine.
Matt Hanna (Far-Left) & Shel Simon (Center-Left) on Inside PressBox, October 2018
“I think you will find that Shel is the heart of our program and tells a story many cannot.” - Matt Hanna
During Shel’s early years, Next one Up was a group of around twenty young men who would meet with mentors at local rec centers and libraries for study halls and athletic training.
The mentors quickly recognized that they had a group of committed kids who wanted to show up, grow, and learn.
Developing Baltimore’s Leaders
Next One Up recruits heavily from city schools as well as local recreation leagues and has ties to several Baltimore County public and private schools.
Prior to the onset of the pandemic, NOU gathered as a group on Sunday’s at Gilman School in Baltimore. The group, made up of kids from over 45 different Baltimore area schools, would have breakfast and then dive into different learning opportunities, study halls, and athletic training.
Next One Up purposely structured their program to challenge the young men from the start. The structure of the application process, which includes an interview with the Next One Up team, is a key element to the purposely structured program.
“We make them sweat and make sure they know that this is legit.” - Shel Simon
Building Relationships
Shel’s motivation comes from seeing himself in the young men he serves. Shel was the first in his family to be a college graduate and he now has a son who is a high school freshman at St Paul’s.
Shel’s commitment to his young men was evident from the moment we met. When I first spoke with Shel, he was returning from an early signing day ceremony for one of his Next One Up young men, who was committing as a wide-receiver to Liberty University.
Next One Up ensures that kids mature and develop in the program, starting as young as 7th grade and “graduating” the program at 25 years old. These NOU mentors are dedicated to developing long-term relationships with both the kids in the program and their families.
“The reason I am so passionate about the work that we do is because there is so much for our young men to overcome. Baltimore can be ruthless! As someone who lost my father at the age of six to gun violence, I know what it’s like to grow up fatherless.” - Shel Simon
Experiential Learning
Shel and his team work hard to build out a curriculum and create an interactive learning environment. NOU often invites Baltimore City/County teachers to join the program and build a curriculum without being handcuffed by any administrative red tape.
Experiential learning has also been an integral part of the NOU growth. During a visit in early 2019 to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, a fellow museum-goer noticed the Next One Up young men by their uniforms and respectable behavior. This woman, an event organizer, informed Shel that there was an upcoming event the boys should absolutely attend.
Well, the event was Colin Kapernick’s Know Your Rights Camp. On March 23rd, 2019, over 450 kids in Baltimore joined Kapernick and his mission to create new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.
NOU is constantly exploring opportunities like the Know Your Rights Camp and other chances to expose the kids to people who “look like them”. Shel and his team have brought in experienced sports professionals who could explain their educational path and career journey.
Collaboration
Next One Up has a strong connection to Baltimore organizations. NOU is a community partner for the Baltimore Ravens and collaborates with Under Armour, the Black Mental Health Alliance, Police-Athletic-League, and many others. The group has also worked with Johns Hopkins student-athletes to set up mentorships with NOU kids.
NOU has a diverse group of supporters and donors from around the country who love to help support the growth of the organization.
NOU also hosts casual roundtables for local nonprofits to discuss issues and best strategies for operations and programming.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Whether being judged by me, you, or the communities they serve, Next One Up has some impressive metrics that deserve to be amplified.
100% of participants graduate high school on time
100% accepted into 2- or 4- year colleges
95% matriculate to college, others join the military or start a trade
Students participate in 350+ hours of Out of School Time programming each year
Students spend over 100 hours each year on college campuses
97% of students said NOU taught them the importance of trying their hardest in all that they do
93% of students report that NOU has made them a better leader
2020 in Review
2020 challenged the Next One Up staff to become extremely creative. The group wanted to make sure they were safe, connected, and engaged.
Next One Up mentors have always talked to their mentees about law enforcement and “being Black in Baltimore”.
“In wake of the Director of Safe Streets, Dante Barksdale, being murdered I am really saddened. It’s so heartbreaking to see the statistics of nearly 2000 black men killed in Baltimore since 2015.Leaders of families, potential husbands, sons, brothers slain in our streets. Most who probably never felt like they had a chance in life.” - Shel Simon
The events that took place in the summer of 2020 woke up a lot of people. It presented an opportunity for many to start having a dialogue on race in America.
For those already having that dialogue, the murder of George Floyd was the spark to expand their work.
So, as everything played out, the NOU mentors watched their young men take charge. The group organized peaceful protests and dedicated the summer program to understanding the true importance of decision making in America.
The Next One Up math curriculum was centered around a long-term research project on the actual numbers and impact behind the #DefundThePolice movement. The group analyzed how funds taken from the police department could be properly allocated to positively impact communities.
What’s Next?
Next One Up’s key target is to open their own facility and develop a central location that can support Next One Up initiatives, as well as other Baltimore based organizations.
“Our program could really be the opportunity a young man needs to survive in our city and in America.” - Shel Simon
The future development of the brand will open doors to allow opportunities for more young ladies to get involved and be the Next One Up.
(Photos: Anne Stuzin/Next One Up)
Thank you for taking the time to read Shel’s story. His journey is exemplified by a phrase he told me early on in our discussion, “follow your passion”.
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Baltimore United is proud to work with the Win-Win-Win community to accelerate goals for impactful organizations. We intend to increase engagement and opportunities for organizations like Next One Up!