We are at the beginning of a new century.  The world we grew up in has changed forever.  Women and girls of today will be called upon to assume roles and responsibilities never imagined by our mothers and grandmothers, indeed, never imagined by many of us.  Yet ready or not, the twenty-first century is here with new and unexpected demands.

The Delta Academy is one response to the imperatives of the future. It is an exciting and innovative way for Delta women of vision to turn their considerable resources and energies to developing new purpose, new skills and new leaders from the ranks of 11 to 14 year old young women.   It is one of the sorority’s two national programmatic initiatives, which requires the participation of all chapters.  It can be implemented as a single chapter or as a cluster of chapters in a geographical area and the involvement of undergraduate and alumnae Sorors is essential to its success.

We know that many young women today are trapped in educational environments that do not support their development.  We know that many girls today do not have access to computers, to role models of adult women occupied in non-traditional careers, to meaningful opportunities for community service and leadership.  We know that many girls today are ignored or left behind at the very point in their lives when they are most in need of attention, support and encouragement.

How will girls face the challenges of tomorrow?  How can they compete in the economy of the future with yesterday’s skills?  What will the twenty-first century hold for them? The Delta Academy seeks to remedy some of the deficiencies faced by involving the young women in supervised and structured experiences that will help them grow up to be productive citizens with high self-esteem and an appreciation for the demands of an increasingly technological society.  It is hard work to change lives, but that is exactly what the Delta Academy proposes to do.

The Delta Academy builds on the Sorority’s long experience in direct service and educational enrichment.  Each Delta Academy is a gesture of faith in the possibilities; each Delta Academy is a pledge to the participants that the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority have neither forgotten from whence we came nor lost sight of what it takes to move us into the future.  

The Sorors of the Fairfax County Alumnae Chapter have joined other Sorors around the country in implementing its own Delta Academy. We have made a commitment to involve ourselves  in the lives of adolescent girls at Riverside Elementary School (Fairfax County Public Schools), and use our resources to help young leaders for the future.  The Sorors work closely with these 11 to 14 years old young women, who demonstrate the potential to succeed, but may not always have the necessary support systems in place, nor the encouragement necessary,  to help them believe that yes - they too - can achieve in math, science, and technology, and be prepared to compete for the jobs of the future.  There are currently eleven participants in the program.