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“Necessity is the mother of all inventions.” This is how Akhenaton Mikell, 45, described his decision to found Imani Star Development in 2002. Mikell witnessed the necessity in this case from people in his community suffering from mental illnesses, drug addiction and unemployment, leading to homelessness and incarceration.
The South of South resident created the West Philly-based Imani Star to counteract these issues by providing struggling members of the community the resources to improve their opportunities. One of the most significant ways it accomplishes this is by preparing people to understand how to function in the digital age.
“If you’re trying to come back into mainstream society and be a productive citizen,” Mikell said, “one of the key elements one needs to have is computer literacy. If you have folks that are unable to use a computer, how can they even begin to fill out a job application?”
The company has evolved from its origins though, and has expanded to encompass not only people who have encountered bad situations in life, but also who could be affected by them in the future. Mikell’s efforts also go towards younger people so that they can grow up productive and hopefully avoid ever needing a second chance to turn things around.
“Skills to Pay the Bills” is one of the programs that Mikell has established to create a strong foundation for younger people to build off of, which he says educates them and “Begins to teach [kids] about financial literacy and the importance of being able to budget and manage finances. Many adolescents don’t get this.”
The “Shadow Me For A Day” program allows youths to follow a professional in a field of their interest to ignite their passion for a potential job, or even help them realize a certain career path is not for them before devoting years of studying to it.
Even seniors have programs, with Imani Star devoted to helping them achieve their goals. Mikell’s work transcends factors like age and economic background to help anyone in the community who needs it. For the founder, giving back isn’t something he finds the time to do every once in a while; It’s what he’s devoted his life to.
“I could have easily taken a job elsewhere full-time,” he said. “I have a master’s degree. But I find the time because this is my full-time job. This is what I do.”
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
2014 Difference Makers
/ L. Jay Agnes / Christine M. Beady / Jessica Calter / Mikki Capo /
/ Barbara Capozzi / Giovanna Cavaliere /
/ Christopher DiCapua / Marlo and Jason Dilks / Marie DiStefano / Beth Dougherty /
/ Cornell Drummond / Maureen Fratantoni / Etrulia (Trudy) Gay / Jess Gould /
/ David and Lisa Grainge / Richie Lazer / Tim Lidiak /
/ Shane Martin / Laura McColgan / Akhenaton Mikell / Russell Shoemaker / Lionel Simmons / Tom Wyatt/
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