DBG Detroit: Proven Impact
When we say DBG transforms lives, we’re not just sharing stories—we’re sharing nearly two decades of proven results.
Since 2007, DBG has been creating personalized opportunities and trusted relationships that help young people set down the burdens they’ve been carrying and pick up their potential instead. Through our proprietary mentorship methodology and comprehensive wraparound support for students and families 8-18+, we’ve built one of the most successful youth development programs in the country. The data tells that story clearly.
What Sets DBG Apart: We Measure What Actually Matters
In partnership with academic researchers, DBG has spent years studying how growth happens—not just whether it does. We developed an evaluation format that identifies contextually and developmentally relevant areas to help us understand how best to support our students.
Our longitudinal research shows statistically significant, year-over-year growth in the extra-academic factors that matter most:
Self-Efficacy (+12%) — belief in one’s ability to succeed
Sense of Agency (+14%) — confidence to influence one’s community and future
Adaptability (+10%) — ability to navigate change and challenge
Self-Regulation (+11%) — skills to manage emotions, thoughts, and behaviors
Sense of Purpose — finding meaning in daily actions and long-term goals
These skills are teachable. They are developable. And they are predictive of long-term educational, occupational, and health outcomes.
Proven Outcomes, Year After Year
In addition to understanding long term predictors of holistic wellness and success we also haven proven educational outcomes.
100% High School Graduation Rate — maintained since program inception
98% Post-Secondary Enrollment — far exceeding the national average of 51% for students from the lowest-income households
+5.5 Reading Levels — average annual literacy growth for students in intervention programs
84% Math Achievement — students maintaining or improving their math grades
25% Higher Social-Emotional Control — DBG students consistently outperform peers nationally in self-efficacy, agency, and self-regulation
These numbers don’t represent short-term wins. They reflect what happens when young people are surrounded by belief, opportunity, and care—for years, not months.
Impact That Extends Beyond Our Walls
250+ students currently served annually
400+ families receive emergency and individualized support each year
300+ alumni remain connected through college and career
50 neighborhoods across Southeast Michigan represented
2,000+ students on our waitlist, reflecting urgent demand
Every statistic represents a student who refused to be written off. Every percentage reflects a family that found stability and hope. Every data point proves what’s possible when young people are surrounded by belief, opportunity, and care.
DBG’s evidence-based approach has been recognized by the Library of Congress, the National Science Foundation, Yield Giving (MacKenzie Scott), and the NFL. But our greatest validation comes from the young people who grow—and thrive—because someone stayed with them.
That means hyper-personalized academic support. Daily STEAM programming. Mental health services. Transportation, meals, and family partnership. And support that doesn’t end at graduation. Students don’t outgrow DBG. They evolve within it. They return as mentors, staff, and leaders who lift as they climb. Families shift from seeking support to shaping change. Alumni and parents stay connected five, ten, fifteen years later because they know this community doesn’t disappear when the school year ends or when a diploma is earned.
Here, growth is lifelong. Here, Growth Never Graduates.