About Us
GLUE - Getting Literacy in Urban Environments - is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation was founded specifically for the lost population of returning citizens and to work preventatively with the youth and young adults in the urban communities.
The staff and volunteers work extremely hard to de-stigmatize the opinions of the world as it relates to the trauma and mental health of this lost population by bringing attention to many biases that literally make it almost impossible to prevent recidivism which is key.
Some of the ways in which this is accomplished is with a variety of programs offered.
Our Mission
GLUE was founded specifically for the lost population of returning male citizens from incarceration and works preventatively with male youth and young adults in urban communities.
Our Founder
Kareem A. Cooper, native of Detroit. Michigan, founded GLUE as a passion project after serving time for more than a decade in various correction facilities.
Having experienced feelings of displacement, financial setbacks, judgement and ridicule his ability to successfully acclimate back into society was extremely challenging. But Kareem NEVER quit. His determination to make a name for himself and create a legacy for his children catapulted him to persevere and achieve many accomplishments, a variety of mental health and trauma certifications and a degree from Spec Howard School of Media Arts. His innate desire to overcome any obstacle before him has created a passion for GLUE to become his life’s mission and successfully reintroduce returning citizens to the world with the community involvement of GLUE.
Kareem continues works tirelessly to create an environment in which everyone feels welcomes and can get the support that they are in need of and willing to work towards. With community involvement and collaboration GLUE is destined to make an impact in the world and be a voice for the lost population of returning citizens because we stick together.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy
GLUE embraces Diversity, Equity & Inclusion throughout the organization, recognizing its importance to creativity and innovation. We aim to be inclusive as we expand as a diverse workplace as we are committed to our employees, our customers, and our community. We also recognize how important inclusion is for boosting employee engagement, communication and collaboration within the workplace.
Our DE&I team works diligently to communicate change with zero tolerance policies on discrimination, bullying, and/or any type of harassment in the workplace. We also work to make sure that all programming offered is inclusive and employees and volunteers feel valued.