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A Brief History of Advancement Plus / New Beginnings

Identity between Advancement Plus and New Beginnings.  In July 1996, Advancement Plus, Inc. (“A+”) filed its incorporation papers in Massachusetts, and three months later opened an adult education program in the community center of Westminster Village Apartments in Lowell, MA.  At first the program was called Advancement Plus, but the participants couldn’t identify with that name, so the name of the Lowell Program became New Beginnings (“NB”).  NB is not a legal entity, but rather is A+ doing business as NB.  The opposite is also true, conceptually, which is that NB is the only activity of A+, so there is effectively an identity between A+ and NB.  In the remainder of these papers the name “New Beginnings,” or “NB,” will be used in all cases to avoid jumping back and forth between the two names in a way that is necessarily confusing to a reader.  Whenever either of the terms New Beginnings or NB is used, the terms should be interpreted to mean “Advancement Plus doing business as New Beginnings.”  This nomenclature is used consistently, even, for example, referring to the A+ Board as the NB Board.

New Beginnings’ vision has always been:

To fundamentally change people's lives

Their goal was to do this by creating a holistic environment, tools and methodology that focused on the universal ideals of:

• Opportunity
• Education
• Diversity
• Openness
• Freedom of Information and Civic & Social Involvement       

New Beginnings envisioned creating empowerment centers where adults, regardless of age, income, race or place origin could get access to the information, tools and support necessary for reaching their goals and improving their lives.

They saw these centers as catalysts for empowering people by concentrating on teaching and overseeing a goal setting methodology, while also helping people identify and access resources in the community. The centers would provide individuals with support, and try and fill gaps where quality resources were not available.

In October 1996, New Beginnings opened its pilot Community Empowerment Center in Lowell Massachusetts to carry out this mission. Its mission:

 To empower people to put themselves in the position to reach their personal, economic and employment related goals                                                                                          

New Beginnings was also to act as a laboratory for the development of effective tools and methodology that could be replicated to other centers.

Since then, New Beginnings’ open nature and flexible schedule has given over 2500 people a place to turn for training, help, information and guidance. We have helped individuals gain skills that have allowed them to obtain new employment, advance in their current positions, go back to school, and use technology to make personal improvements in their lives.  We have worked with participants to effectively look for jobs, go back to college, get their GEDs, improve their English, buy houses, file their taxes and get control of their budgets. We have worked with other community agencies to make sure that information and resources were readily available to the public, so that they could make better-informed decisions and choices. For many, New Beginnings has been the place to get the information and referrals they need to move forward in improving their lives.