OUR STORY | HOW WE STARTED
Durham Success Summit was founded in 2019 in response to a pressing community need: too many talented young people in Durham were locked out of economic opportunity—not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked access to the networks, mentorship, and career guidance that open doors.
What started as grassroots career workshops grew into a comprehensive workforce development model that has now served over 200 young people. Our cohort-based Summit Scholars Program, employer partnerships, and wraparound support services have consistently delivered results: 100% of participants gain career clarity, 90% report increased earnings, and 94% move from unemployment to employment or education.
Originally focused on addressing the employment crisis facing young Black men—a population experiencing unemployment rates significantly above county averages—DSS has evolved into an inclusive workforce development organization serving all Durham youth ages 16-24 who face barriers to employment.
Today, we serve young people from across Durham who are unemployed, underemployed, justice-involved, experiencing housing insecurity, disconnected from school, or simply searching for a path forward. What unites them isn't their background—it's their ambition and their need for opportunity.
Let's Build Something Worth Glorifying
by Derek Rhodes, Founder
In 2019, I started Durham Success Summit with a roadmap but without a view of the roadblocks that were to come. Just as much as this has been a journey for the teens and young men that we have been able to help find their ways, it has been a journey for me as well. At the close of last year, as I reflected on where DSS has been and where it is going, I re-read
my initial story of how this organization came to be and three words stuck out to me; I wanted to build “something worth glorifying."
