Early College and Career Awareness (ECCA) 
This is a drop out prevention program with emphasis on helping minority youth make successful academic transitions and identify post secondary goals early. ECCA motivates youth to achieve academically and exhibit good behavior by helping them understand that their success in school correlates to their success in life. Youth receive comprehensive guidance and counseling to help them make and implement informed decisions and healthy life choices. 

Year Round Programming includes in school sessions (high school prep, career prep and work prep), out of school activities (extracurricular experiential activities that provide youth with short term success to help demonstrate their strengths and recognize their individual skills). Early College and Career Awareness is currently being piloted in the Duquesne Middle School, with plans of expanding to other Mon Valley Schools. 

Techno Teens
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, in partnership with Catalyst Connection, offers a program entitled "Tecno Teens." Formally known as DigiPen Summer Gaming Camp, Techno Teens has built on this experience by expanding into a year-round effort to achieve a greater, more measurable impact.  Techno Teens kicks off as a three week summer gaming camp for fifty high school aged youth and specifically addresses the need to expose and prepare minority and at risk youth to compete for well paying and exciting IT career pathways in the region.  Participants not only learn about designing and creating their own video game, but they also gain broad exposure to IT careers using video game development as the "hook" to the broader information technology industry (IT). The Techno Teens Program also utilizes local resources, universities, teachers and industry connections to ensure the success and sustainability of the program. To apply for Techno Teens, click here.

National Urban League Incentive to Excel and Succeed (NULITES)
This program enhances academic, personal and leadership development in youth, provides quarterly worships and encourages decision-making and volunteerism.

College Success 101
This annual event held at Carnegie Mellon University brings together underserved and underrepresented high school student for an all day conference regarding the merits of postsecondary education and a college fair with representation from thirty-five postsecondary institutions.

Black Male Leadership Development Institute (BMLDI)
The Black Male Leadership Development Institute (BMLDI) is a program that brings sixty-five African American boys in grades nine through twelve together to participate in a year long program.  Designed to increase educational and leadership opporutnities for the selected participants, BMLDI allows young African American men to take the competencies that they already have and expand them into a repertoire of leadership skills that can have a practical impact in their local communities. BMLDI, which is co-sponsored by Robert Morris University, kicks off with a week long residential program on the RMU campus. Throughout the week, participants partake in seminars, workshops, panel discussions, leadership exercises, and hear keynote speakers nightly on a variety of topics ranging from values clarification, identity formation, manhood, fatherhood, and personal accountability. Staffed by a faculity consisting of mostly African American leaders from the region and beyond, these sessions are designed to inspire and motivate the participants as well as to provide a venue for adult male role models to share their stories. 

The week long program is followed by ongoing year round periodic activities and workshops on leadership development, community service, advocacy, college and career preparation, networking, presentation skills, character education and more.  Criteria for selection into BMLDI include a GPA of 2.0 or better, a record of good attendance, and a short essay and letter of recommendation.  It is open to students attending all school districts in the greater Pittsburgh area.  The program is supported by a grant from the Heinz Endowments. To apply for the BMLDI program, click here.