Bruce Boyd

Bruce Boyd is the very model of how to launch and sustain and expand the modern social enterprise. Growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, Bruce studied diligently, earned the grades to go to college, but never had the funds, so he ended up working in a series of state government positions in the Garden State’s capitol city. Witnessing the tragic barriers facing inner city youngsters, Bruce responded by creating Building Our Youth Development to ignite the fire of hope and pathways to opportunity. Then he launched Reclaim Our Boys, followed by other organizations working within public and private school systems.

Boyd’s method is deeply personal. Bruce meets young people in the dark, depressed alley of their city circumstance. He reaches in and makes them pull out their deepest dreams; then he hands them a knife showing them how to whittle down the obstacles. Mentors and role models are brought in to inject encouragement and wisdom. And if you want to discover one hint of what makes young people flock to B.O.Y.D gatherings, ask them about Bruce’s idea of a field trip. “So now we are in Selma – what can we learn?”