About

Mission

The Duplessy Foundation’s mission is to help Boston young adults find and pursue their life’s purpose. We focus on the areas of entrepreneurship, human services (which includes health care), international development, and the arts. Our target population is young adults age 18-24 from the city of Boston not enrolled in a four-year institution of higher learning. We will engage them to challenge their notions of what is possible, create a personal vision, and pursue it aggressively. Our goal is to develop the city of Boston -- one future leader at a time.

Program

Our program is designed around providing dynamic experiences and practical tools for our future leaders to pursue their life purpose. We start with a rigorous orientation that involves creating physical and mental discipline through running, journal writing, and workshops. Our participants, or fellows, then embark on a 8-12 week 'Purposeship' where they will help a partner organization solve a business problem and gain practical experience in their area of interest.  Finally, we work with fellows to develop an individualized 10 year Purpose Plan and provide mentoring support (up to 10 years) to make sure they follow-through on their goals.   

About the Founder

Derrick Duplessy's working purpose has been to develop leaders. His experience with working in organizations such as GEAR UP, Upward Bound, and Urban Scholars at UMass Boston served as his training ground in youth leadership development. Inspired by his work with youth, Derrick went on study leadership as part of the prestigious Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program. He graduated from Bowdoin College with an A.B. in Sociology and Africana Studies in 2003.

Derrick has established a track record of creating and taking on leadership opportunities. From 2003 on, he has been the chair of the Summer Search Boston Alumni Board with 12 members that now represent over 500 alumni. In 2004, he established the Urban Scholars Alumni Endowment fund, the first in the then 20 year history of the program. In 2005, he joined the Summer Search Boston Board and was instrumental in creating the organization’s current strategic plan. In 2006, he established the Duplessy Foundation.

Derrick founded the Duplessy Foundation to unlock the potential of young urban leaders at the margin. He has a special interest in guiding young adults in the non-traditional areas of entrepreneurship, the arts, human services, and international development.