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Grow Your World is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit with the IRS. 

Checks can be sent to: Grow Your World, 901 West Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510

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Our Mission, Vision, Values, and Foundational Practices

ABOUT US

States we’ve served


​We envision a vibrant and interconnected community that equitably enriches all of its members socially, emotionally, intellectually, and economically.

At Grow Your World, we connect community members through multigenerational and inclusive relationships that build enrichment opportunities for youth and adults alike.

3

families we've worked with

500+


Tutoring Hours


3,500+


Arts + Enrichment Programming Hours


1,000+


VISION

MISSION

Values and Foundational Practices

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Grow Your World values community, abundance, and empowerment at the core of its work and programs. We define these values in the following ways...

COMMUNITY

reverence for diversity by practicing listening, respect, accountability, integrity, and inclusion in all relationships.

Abundance

equity and ingenuity through relationships that develop social, emotional, and economic opportunities for thriving.

Empowerment

mutual and reciprocal opportunities for learning and sharing; we can all grow
We embody these values through the practices of anti-racism and resilience. This looks like​

Racial Equity

Maintaining a vigilant eye toward implicit and explicit bias, and designing and implementing actions that remedy disparities based on race.

Resilience

Implementing tools and practices that foster self-awareness, self-confidence and self-regulation to empower youth and create spaces of belonging.

WE'RE INSPIRED

Co-Founder and Executive Director


Visionary

Let's build your community!

Novice Chef

Entrepreneur

Strategist

Sophie Suberman

The Team

Sophie has a background in education, Spanish, anthropology, and the law, and is a from Chapel Hill. She taught elementary and middle school youth in public and private schools, and worked as a paralegal with Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc.’s Medical-Legal Partnership for Children. Sophie always thought she wanted to be a teacher, but realized that she had as much to learn from young people as they did from her. 

Sophie Suberman and Soteria Shepperson are community builders and owners of Present Day on Main in Carrboro, NC. For the past five years, they have strived to build a community space that prioritizes diversity and embodies inclusion, creativity, and empowerment. They have also developed and hosted community programming for youth and adults that capitalize on community resources and skills.

Co-Founder & Executive Director

ARTivist

Let's build your community!

Motivational Speaker 

Entrepreneur

Facilitator 

Soteria Shepperson

The Team

Soteria has worked in education for over ten years, both as a secondary teacher and an instructor at Wake Technical Community College.

She also supports youth and adults through crime prevention work and advocacy within the criminal justice system, empowering individuals to rebuild their lives and step into a positive future of their own creation.

She has worked in schools, residential facilities, prisons, communities and wraparound programs serving individuals as they return from incarceration and drug treatment facilities. Soteria also uses spoken word and music to advocate for social justice issues and to inspire listeners to live into their destinies.

Growing up Soteria had a mother worked long days and hours there were so many community members who played a pivotal role in her success. She remembers, parents taking her to basketball games after school and an aunt who would make sure she could be picked up if her mother had to work late nights and early mornings. One of the most meaningful things she has realized growing up, is the importance of access in collaboration with opportunity. There were so many opportunities around her but it was not until community members provided access to those opportunities that she was able to take part thrive and become a first generation college graduate. It was very quickly she started to build her community outside of her family. Even today the majority of Soteria's work centers around community leaders, community members and the communities at large. What better way to invest in youth then to give them the gift that continues to keep on giving which is the understanding that together we are truly better.

Our Partners

We partner with college students through work study experiences, service learning opportunities, internships and volunteer experiences. College students work directly with youth and have opportunities to explore other professional skills through Grow Your World. Current university partners include University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.

The Team