DarkStar Spouts Off

Opening Eyes, Minds

Opening Eyes, Minds

The trip to Connecticut was part of a program called "Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood," an effort to expose young Baltimore-area men to male role models and new experiences while helping them connect with their peers. Although it has been around for 12 years and served more than 8,000 boys, it exists solely because its organizer, Cameron Miles, is willing to beg for donations and go into his own pocket to help finance excursions.

He also seems to know all the right people. At the group's monthly meetings at Coppin State University, Miles presents a parade of important guests: Judge Robert M. Bell, chief of the Maryland Court of Appeals; television reporter Barry Simms; Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. Miles bumped into city Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III at a restaurant a few months ago and invited him to the April meeting.

"Frankly, I was blown away," Bealefeld said, "not just by his commitment, but by the manner in which he engaged the young men and by the substance of his message."

More at the link provided.

City's Men Heed A Call To Action

City's Men Heed 'A Call to Action'

Fathers, sons, community activists, job seekers and thousands of others filed into the Baltimore Convention Center for the "A Call to Action" meeting, a mobilization effort organizers say was designed to rebuild and restore positive black men in the community.

The assembly, which its leaders said they hoped would galvanize 5,000 men at the convention center but appeared to have fallen short, was modeled after a similar effort in Philadelphia. In October, groups of men from across Pennsylvania showed up for more than two hours into an auditorium at Temple University for 10,000 Men Philly, a street-level mobilization.

Similar to Baltimore, Philadelphia's homicide number swells well into the hundreds, and the city's leaders are searching for ways to curb the violence.

More at the link provided.

Making Their Moves

Making Their Moves

But the euphoria was short-lived. Community activist William Shelton, who paid for the suits, heard his name over the loudspeaker. Eight Kenneth Cole watches were missing. Security cameras showed that some of his charges had stolen them -- a dispiriting reminder that while Shelton can take young men out of the Toga, wrenching the Toga out of them is far more difficult.

"You disrespected everything we are trying to do," Shelton scolded them a few days later in his office at Brookland Manor, where he is community relations coordinator. "At what point do you make a decision to do something positive with your life? You say you want jobs, but how can I send you out to jobs if I can't trust you? This is your life. You have to get rid of this get-over mentality."

It is a message preached daily by crusaders in the city's toughest neighborhoods: If you don't make better choices, you'll end up dead or behind bars. The message is sometimes heeded, sometimes ignored. But at community centers, schools and street corners across the city, mentors like Shelton are betting that individualized attention can make a big difference.

Most of the programs are aimed at disaffected young black men who are most likely to drop out of school, be unemployed or go to jail. They are either volunteer-supported or receive funding from city agencies, including schools, employment services and recreation, and juvenile justice. Many are tiny, draw from a single neighborhood and act as surrogate parents.

More at the link provided.

Black men answer leaders' call to action

Black men answer leaders' call to action

Inspired by a mobilization effort in Philadelphia, leaders of Baltimore's African-American community vowed Wednesday to recruit at least 5,000 black men to bring positive change to their communities.

The goal is to reduce the city's rates of violence, high school dropouts and absentee fathers. More than 50 men representing churches, educational institutions and civic groups gathered at Calverton Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore to announce the initiative.

The group will meet on Father's Day, June 15, at the Baltimore Convention Center, where there will be opportunities for men to sign up as volunteers with more than 100 community organizations. Several service providers will be on hand to offer men whatever assistance they need to be productive residents, be it job training or substance abuse withdrawal. Plans for follow-up meetings are in the works to maintain the momentum generated in the next few weeks.

The initiative is modeled after 10,000 Men Philly, an assembly held in October. Former state Sen. Larry Young is credited with the idea of replicating the Philadelphia program in Baltimore. Organizers said they are trying to recruit 5,000 men because Baltimore is about half the size of Philadelphia.

Hat tip: Black Informant

200+ Men

Hampton Roads Committee of 200+ Men

As one of the premier African-American men’s groups in Virginia the organization works to promote Community Betterment throughout the Hampton Roads region.  The group serves the eight cities of Hampton Roads, namely Chesapeake, Hampton, Isle of Wight County, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach.

The 200+ Men works to become catalysts for positive change in the region and as such works both alone and in tandem with other community organizations on a variety of projects that have goals and objectives similar to those of the 200+ Men.

Check them out.

Group's Found Has A Mission to Mentor Young, Black Men

Group's Found Has A Mission to Mentor Young, Black Men

Raleigh, N.C. — Antoine Medley says he's following a call to save young people. Young, black men especially.

The people who are the target of his message might not like everything he has to say, but he's saying it anyway.

From 9 to 5, Medley is a computer guy. He's the one you call when something goes wrong.

He's also a family guy who has made the tough choice to give up family time to create something he believes in – Future Black Men of America Inc.

“Our young boys are really going through some things now by not having direction,” Medley says. That is what led him to decide he must be a leader, must try to shape and change those young men.

More at the link provided.

SOM students mentor Detroit schoolchildren

SOM students mentor Detroit schoolchildren

Wayne State University School of Medicine students have banded together to launch a cultural and academic academy for middle and high school students of Detroit.   

The Promoting Uplift to Lives of Success and Empowerment (PULSE) Enrichment Academy meets two Saturdays of each month from August to April, bringing Detroit students onto the School of Medicine campus to be taught a variety of cultural and academic subjects by SOM medical students.

The academy, the brainchild of second-year medical students Letacia Sims, Cecelia Calhoun and Dakisha Felder, was established with a Widening the Pipeline Program grant from the School of Medicine’s chapter of the American Medical Student Association. Many of the students volunteering as teachers and tutors are members of the Wayne State University School of Medicine chapter of the Black Medical Association/Student National Medical Association. Ms.Sims, Ms. Calhoun and Ms. Felder are community service chairpersons for the SNMA.    

“We saw a need for this type of programming,” said Ms. Sims, a native of Georgia who wants to practice pediatric medicine. “Kids need to expand their horizons in academics and culture. SOM students need volunteer hours, and the children of Detroit need the help, so it’s mutually beneficial. We get to give back to the community.”

More at the link provided.

Mentoring Program Gives Students Wisdom, Awards

Mentoring Program Gives Students Wisdom, Awards

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – In Bob Countryman's days, mentoring was a trickle-down affair – brother to brother.

That's all his family could manage for its 13 children when mentoring programs were practically nonexistent, said Countryman, 70, of San Diego.

Today, he is a driving force behind organized mentoring for young African-Americans.

Countryman, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration forensic chemist, served as master of ceremonies for the Links Inc. San Diego chapter's black male high school seniors achievement awards ceremony. It was held at the downtown Marriott Hotel & Marina yesterday.

Nineteen students were honored at the ceremony attended by roughly 400 people.

Links is a national nonprofit organization of black  women, with some chapters overseas.

More at the link provided.

Project Ready changing attitudes, 1 by 1

Project Ready changing attitudes, 1 by 1

For young black men, dodging gangs, drugs and negative peers and trying to avoid becoming a victim of crime is as much a part of their academic success as hitting the books.

"You've always got to watch your back when you're walking. You never know; maybe those two dudes, or three dudes, you just passed might come back. Like they've seen something they like (such as a clothing item or gold chain) and try to take it," said Marcus Bowens, 17.

Disturbed by the unyielding pattern of high youth violence rates and low graduation rates, the Urban League of Rochester has launched "Project Ready," a program to provide academic mentoring and training in life skills for young black men.

The development program meets twice a week to provide tutoring, train participants on test-taking and public speaking and raise cultural awareness.

More at the link provided.

Washington County Woman Seeks To Inspire Youths Of Color

Washington County Woman Seeks To Inspire Youths Of Color

As a department assistant in the radiology department at Washington County Hospital, Fara Thompson knows a lot about career opportunities in the medical field. She shares her knowledge and contacts as the Medical Cluster leader for the Hagerstown YMCA's Black Achievers program.

Black Achievers is a youth mentoring program for ages 12 to 18. Its goal is to expose participants to a variety of opportunities in the community, from career and business options to college tours to community service, Thompson said.

"We want to get them out into the community and try to help people, to get them to love who they are, to be proud of being a Black Achiever," Thompson said.

More at the link provided.

Memphis Cares

Memphis Cares

Our Call to Action
We are asking every man and woman to commit just four (4) hours per month for one (1) Year

Recruitment Goal
To recruit 6000 mentors between January 2008 and December 2013! Goal is 50% of the mentors will be African American men!

Who Should Mentor?
All are welcome! We recruit men and women (like you) to become mentors because they have valuable knowledge and life experiences that will benefit young people. All it takes to become a mentor is a committed, caring person, responsible and a good listener.

Youth Advisers Bring Order and an Empathetic Ear

Youth Advisers Bring Order and an Empathetic Ear

Havoc was the order of the day at Bladensburg High School in Prince George's County.

Students were fighting, skipping classes and stealing cars from the parking lot.

Officials were stymied until they sought help two years ago from a national program designed to help schools by reaching out to troubled youths. Enter the youth advisers of the Violence-Free Zone, a program of the District-based Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, who let the students know that they were there to help them. The advisers also brought a stronger message: Control of Bladensburg was going to return to the adults.

"Kids can't be controlled by cameras, curfews and cops," said Robert L. Woodson, president and founder of the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. "Those are threats, and they won't respond to that. . . . The Violence-Free Zone inspires them to obey the rules by providing life witnesses to them [who show] that just because you are from a dysfunctional household or a troubled neighborhood, you don't have to be a troubled person."

The Violence-Free Zone, now also in Largo High School, has been praised by school officials and community leaders for helping to turn around troubled schools.

At the same time, the program has fallen prey to the budget ax. Funded by Prince George's schools for the 2006-07 school year, the program is in danger of ending soon unless $500,000 can be raised to save it, authorities said.

Community stakeholders recently gathered at First Baptist Church of Glenarden to try find ways to raise money to continue the program, which Superintendent John E. Deasy would like to expand to more schools, said his spokesman, John White.

White credited the program with resolving significant conflicts and behavior issues at Bladensburg and Largo.

More at the link provided.

Helping Youth Lead Fuller Lives

Helping Youth Lead Fuller Lives

Youth who live in Springhill Lake in Greenbelt say they are grateful for the free mentoring programs offered by husband-and-wife team Brian and Camille Butler.

Jarrell Jefferson, 14, of Springhill Lake in Greenbelt said the programs, which include community projects and field trips, have helped to broaden his horizons.

‘‘I do look up to [Mr. Butler] as an older role model because he’s always trying to [help us] become better people. He’s always encouraging us,” Jefferson said.

Greenbelt resident Patricia Clark, 14, said youth in Springhill Lake could use more people like Brian.

‘‘Springhill Lake is a very big area. He’s limited in how many people he can help,” Clark said.

Camille, 30, and Brian, 32, who lived in Springhill Lake Apartments in 1999, said they created the mentoring programs to enrich, educate and instill respect in young peoples’ lives through field trips, community service projects and group discussions. Brian said the lack of black role models in the youth’s homes prompted him to start a mentoring program.

‘‘I knew just for that simple fact that I was an example. Positive or negative, it is really important for youth to see a black male in a positive light,” Brian said.

More at the link provided.

Black Self Help Information Domain

I registered and use the blackselfhelp.info domain name. I recently found out that the "info" domain is blocked by sys admins because of the assumption is nothing but a SPAM bot pit. So, I've registered the blackselfhelp.org domain as well. They both point to the same place.

Next Level Mentoring Program

Next Level Mentoring Program

The Next Level Mentoring Program is a community based, non-profit 501c3 organization located in Florence, KY. Our mission is to provide minority high and middle school students, primarily African-American, in our community with the skills and knowledge to maximize their potential to continue higher education post high school. We aspire to prepare students in grades 8th -12th for a successful transition from high school to college. Services provided by the Next Level Mentoring Program include academic one to one mentoring, personal development, cultural awareness, community service, ACT prep, a variety of seminars/workshops/panels, and college visits including a one week Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) tour.

On Our Shoulders

The On Our Shoulders program was created out of the empathy felt by its founder, Ray Cook, as he watched countless youths die and become victims of violence on the streets of Baltimore.

The counseling, education and skills training offered by On Our Shoulders helps young people develop career potential and connections to advanced education.

The program components include:

Group Sessions

• Assessment
• Review Street Violence Statistics
• Health and Hygiene Classes Conducted by Registered Nurses
• Individual Drug Counseling and Referral
• Young Mothers/Fathers Group
• Support Groups for Young Victims of Violence

On The Job Training

• Pre-apprenticeship Training
• Catering, Food Handling and Baking Classes
• Clerical Training
• Construction/Electrical/Plumbing
• Barbering/Braiding (Hygiene Enhancement Classes)
• Modeling Training/Fashion Shows

Skill Enhancements

• Academic Skills
• G.E.D. Preparation and Testing
• Computer Skills
• Job Readiness Skills
• Life Skills/Coping Skills/Decision Making Skills
• Paid Internships
• College Preparation/Scholarships/Advanced Education

Crimminal Assessment

• Help young people understand charge papers and court procedures
• Provide an assessment on program participants to the courts
• Appropriately recommend "On Our Shoulders" as an alternative to incarceration

Advanced education will be based on academic performance, attendance, punctuality, and commitment to the program. Our youth will need to demonstrate a high degree of motivation within the program to receive a court representation and assessment verification

Dallas pastor recruits 100+ black men for mentoring program

Dallas pastor recruits 100+ black men for mentoring program

When Dr. David E. Martin, senior pastor of Gospel Tabernacle in Southeast Dallas decided to launch an on-site initiative, a mentoring program entitled “Men with a Cause,” he recruited 100 of his male parishioners and volunteers representing affiliate churches to participate.

Adhering to the request to dress in suits for the entire day while mentoring elementary school student, more than 100 men who were screened by Dallas Independent School District volunteered to mentor the 795 students at Frederick Douglass Elementary in Pleasant Grove.

“I wanted to be to provide access to the students about the opportunities and even the inform them of the challenges I have had to endure,” Elder Edward Rodgers, entrepreneur and coordinator of Men with a Cause said.

As students, parents, the 54 faculty and staff arrived on campus at 7:15 a.m., they were greeted by the “Men with a Cause.”

Throughout the day the men were on campus serving as mentors and providing support to the faculty, staff and student body in various capacities.

More at the link.

The COS Communities

The COS Communities

The COS (pronounced cause) Communities provides a place where you can ask questions, share answers and socialize with people who are seeking advice on topics that are vital to communities across the country. Come on in and get involved.

Why Participate in the COS Communities?
For the last generation or two, the world’s sense of community has dissolved and our parenting skills have broken down — this puts our young people at risk, especially young black males.

The COS Communities address critical issues Americans face all over the United States. The goal is to prepare our communities with an education and skill set that can support the success of our young people.

How did the COS Communities get their start?
Our communities began with a group of dedicated citizens that were ready and willing to deal with the serious issues that face our youth today. From three and a half years of town hall meetings hosted by Bill Cosby — Cosby Call-Outs — we learned a lot about what issues are most pressing in the United States today. We listed five issues that outline different cases where this country has lost its sense of community. We then created five communities that act as forums for you to talk and learn about each of these issues. The communities are as follows:

• Get an Education/Skills
• Be a Parent/Caregiver
• Be Healthy
• Stop Violence
• Get a Job

We invite you to participate in our communities by interacting with others who share the same concerns as you. Come ask your own questions and help provide answers for others by contributing to the COS Communities today.
 

Doctors' 'The Bond' reminds us of resiliency and strength in family

Doctors' 'The Bond' reminds us of resiliency and strength in family

They're back - the three African- American men who made a spec tacular exit from the inner city of Newark, N.J., to medical and dental school, commemorated in their best-selling book "The Pact."

It describes their sworn commitment to one another's success. To many, "The Three Doctors" are outright heroes. The reason is Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt overcame adversity and then began giving back, daily, to the community. Each mentors young men and women who have yet to escape the surroundings and statistics of being impoverished African-Americans in fatherless homes.

Davis, Jenkins and Hunt's third book is "The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with Their Fathers." It dismantles the stereotype that absent fathers mean failed sons as aggressively as their first book blasts the notion that young men from the projects are bound to fail. "The Bond" explores the durable connection between men and boys, in spite of growing up apart and sometimes ignorant of one another.

his book follows a simple format. Each doctor writes four chapters. The first begins with their memories of life without Dad, including touchstone passages - Hunt's decision to quit Pop Warner football because no one was there to help him suit up, and Jenkins' humbling account of asking a white classmate for a lesson in looping his tie.

In later chapters, each doctor reconsiders his life and the men who shaped it. One, "Mr. Charles," taught the finer points of dressing to all three youngsters; Reggie Brown's martial arts classes helped Davis with self-discipline, focus and responsibility. Without cliche, the doctors quietly document that it takes a village of men to raise a boy to manhood.

More at the link.

Pathways For Kids

'Pathways' opens doors for disadvantaged city youths

As San Francisco bade farewell to Barry Bonds last Wednesday, about 30 “at-risk” city youths said hello to Giants management, learned about the baseball business and picked up tips on how to kick-start a career.

SF State alumnus, Shakeel Ali made this opportunity possible through Pathways For Kids (PFK), a San Francisco based non-profit organization founded in 1998 to inspire academic achievement and career awareness in disadvantaged youth.

Ali, 37, became the full-time program director for PFK in the summer of 2006 and began connecting economically disadvantaged youth with volunteer mentors or coaches, who have achieved success in a wide variety of businesses and professions.

“I always had an intent to bridge the gap between students and the community,” said Ali, who graduated from SF State with a Bachelor’s in liberal studies, social sciences & ethnic studies in 2004.

Ali has been involved in activism since he was 19, working in local schools while attending college. After taking classes at City College for two years, he enrolled at SF State in 2002. During his years at the university, he was the Moorish sports club president and a member of the Black Student Union and School of African Philosophy.

More at the link provided.

Group talks about racial disparity in school achievement

Group talks about racial disparity in school achievement

It started on a playful note.

Brunswick County Schools Superintendent Katie McGee ducked under a desk and came out on the other side, at the center of a large room at Love Faithfully Ministries, a church in Leland. About 20 other desks flanked hers.

She went around talking to people and making jokes.

It was a way to break the ice on a subject that has upset black community leaders: the achievement gap between black and white students in Brunswick County, which has narrowed slightly in the past year but is far from closed. On Monday, McGee, other school officials and members of the religious community gathered at the church to once again discuss the gap.

In state standardized tests for grades 3 through 8 this year, 78.4 of black students were proficient in reading. That's 10.9 percentage points lower than white students, a gap that decreased from 13.4 last year. In math, 43.3 percent of black students were proficient this year, which brought the gap down from 27.6 percentage points last year to 27 this year.

Since the first meeting in May, cooperation has grown between local churches and the school system, McGee said. Love Faithfully Ministries now has a program that offers county students an alternative to suspension, giving them mentoring and 17 computers to work on.

"We have to get beyond the color thing," said the church's senior pastor, the Rev. Gene Brown, who launched the program at the start of this school year. "That way it doesn't become a black or white issue. It becomes an issue for the entire community."

Black men take time to listen to their younger counterparts

Black men take time to listen to their younger counterparts

RALEIGH - In the gymnasium at the Garner Road Family YMCA on Saturday morning, black men urged their younger counterparts to tell them about the obstacles they face.

Organizers said the conversations would give the older men more insight into what young black men are dealing with in today's society -- and what was needed to help them.

"We want to show compassion," said David Prince, a program director for Food and Nutrition Services, part of the N.C. Division of Social Services. "We want them to know that we're here. We want to spend time with them. The goal is we want to prevent them from building up the jails."a

The program is affiliated with the Triangle High Five, a regional consortium with the goal of getting 100 percent of area high school students to graduate. About 40 men sat and listened to nearly 100 boys and young men talk about barriers to success, including low expectations from others and a lack of role models.

One of the organizers is Orage Quarles III, president and publisher of The News & Observer.

The group now will try to address several of the concerns aired by the young men. Some mentors also suggested assuring the young people that the meeting would not be a one-time thing.

"They need to have that contact so they don't feel like the ball's being dropped," said William Stubbs, an administrative intern at Reedy Creek Middle School, where he is a sixth-grade assistant principal.

Delta Sigma Theta Science and Everyday Experiences (SEE)

Delta Sigma Theta Science and Everyday Experiences (SEE)

In 2002, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), in partnership with the AAAS Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs, began developing and implementing the 5-year Science and Everyday Experiences (SEE) Initiative, an informal science education project funded by the National Science Foundation. The SEE Initiative helps parents and caregivers of African American elementary and middle school age children (K-8) develop effective ways to support children's informal science and mathematics learning experiences.

Another partner in this community-based science effort includes Radio One, Inc., a conglomerate of 51 radio stations in urban and African American markets that served as the broadcast medium for the original Delta SEE Connection. The Delta SEE Connection is a series of interviews with African American role models that are contributors in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Black pastors join forces to aid community

Black pastors join forces to aid community

Saying they are burying too many young African Americans struck down by violence, some area pastors have launched a campaign to address that and other community problems.

About two dozen pastors have formed the United Black Clergy Association of Seattle to look for solutions to some of the most daunting problems in the black community in areas of employment, economic development and crime.

"Historically, black pastors have been able to give leadership in these areas of our community," Kenneth J. Ransfer Sr., pastor of Greater Mt. Baker Baptist Church and president of the group, said Wednesday.

"We plan to go out into the community, go to the hot spots, and talk to these men and women and love these guns out of their hands."

At a news conference Wednesday, the organization said it is trying to bring to Seattle a national program called Amer-I-Can, a life-management effort founded 20 years ago by NFL Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown to address gang-related violence in inner cities.

Goode sounds a call to action

Goode sounds a call to action

What Wilson Goode is preaching these days is the gospel of mentoring disadvantaged children.

Making a difference "Having a loving adult spend one hour with a child every week for a year can change the direction of a child's life," he told me recently in his Center City office.

Goode is well-cast as the erudite elder statesman. A cropped gray beard has replaced the clean-shaven look he sported during his days as the city's first African American mayor. A large crucifix dangling around his neck testifies to the spiritual obligation that compelled him to earn a Ph.D. in theology at 62.

If you're part of Philadelphia's faith community, you've undoubtedly heard of Amachi, the program Goode helped develop that provides mentoring for children with incarcerated parents.

Since its launch in 2000, Amachi has grown to 273 programs in 48 states. Goode has enlisted mentors from more than 50 congregations in the Philadelphia region alone.

Research shows that kids who lack adult guidance are less likely to be able to read, more likely to grow up in poverty, and way more likely to take up a life of crime.
...
"Before you criticize anybody else, what are you doing?" Goode asked. "You can blame slavery and segregation . . . those are all factors. So what? What's your next step?"

Despite all he has done in a life of service, Goode is still haunted by the 1985 MOVE tragedy. His decision to bomb a West Philadelphia house, which led to the deaths of 11 people, including five children, prompted him to seek redemption.

"I promised God every single day he gives me strength that I'm going to do something positive to help a child," he said. "If every African American can make the same commitment, we can turn this thing around."

More at the link