Black Self Help Information

Gateway To Leadership Internship Program

Gateway To Leadership Internship Program

Washington, D.C. (May 27, 2008) ––The Gateway to Leadership program begins its second year with an impressive class of 34 interns working at 17 financial services firms. Gateway to Leadership is a joint initiative of the NAACP and The Money Management Institute (MMI) that provides summer internships for undergraduate students attending America’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) at leading financial services firms. The only program of its kind, it promotes workplace diversity focused exclusively on the financial services industry and provides career-long guidance and support to its student participants.

"Representation for minorities in the financial services industry still lags behind reasonable numbers,” said NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. ““Without a diverse employee pool that includes minority executives and managers, and absent sincere outreach efforts and adoption of best practices that cut across racial lines in the new global environment, corporations will never be as profitable as they may hope.”

Black Executive Exchange Program

Black Executive Exchange Program

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today announced that the 39th Annual Black Executive Exchange Program (BEEP) Conference will be held from June 4-6 at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami, Fla.

 

The three-day event, entitled "Developing the Leader Within," will bring together African American professionals to train and mentor students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).  The BEEP conference, sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, UPS and Unilever, will feature prominent speakers including Marc Morial, Don Thompson, President of McDonald's USA, Michael Hyter, President of Novations Group Inc, and Thomas W. Dortch Jr., Chairman Emeritus of 100 Black Men.

 

 "This year's conference will empower young people to develop the leadership traits and support networks necessary to secure and retain high-quality employment opportunities," said Morial.  "In these difficult economic times, we must equip our young people with as many advantages as possible to propel their success."

More at the link.

Black Scholars

Urban League of Rochester Salutes, Helps Black Scholars

Leonard, of Webster, will speak of that confidence and of her belief that one should "never give up ... no matter how hard things are," when she speaks before the Urban League of Rochester's "Salute to Black Scholars" recognition dinner on Tuesday.

Since its inception in 1980, the Black Scholars program has recognized more than 5,700 area students for their outstanding academic achievement. Leonard was named a Black Scholar during each of her four years at Edison.

She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and a master's in business administration from Clarkson University.

Leonard praises the Black Scholars program for being part of a support network that bolstered her confidence and emphasized the importance of staying focused on one's goals and giving back to the community.

She joins a chorus of Black Scholars who say the program has benefited them.

More at the link provided.

Black And Missing, Inc

Black And Missing, Inc

BAM is an organization whose sole purpose is to maximize exposure of missing persons of color, so they can receive the awareness needed to be reunited with their families.

Founded in 2008 by a veteran law-enforcement official, BAM will create public awareness campaigns for public safety and provide parents and loved ones of missing persons with a forum for spreading the word of their disappearance, with pictures and profiles of missing individuals. BAM will use a variety of media, including print, television, and the internet, to help locate missing persons of color for this severely underserved population.

BAM is in the process of receiving its 501(c)(3) certification.

Project Alpha

Project Alpha

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first black Greek letter fraternity in the nation, understands the importance of a community of support in every youth’s life, specifically focusing on fatherless African American boys and their need for a strong, male role model. The word mentor means a wise and trusted counselor or teacher or an influential senior sponsor of supporter. Even boys with supportive fathers in their lives can benefit from the program objectives set forth by this altruistic group of young men and their mission to nurture other male youth.

Through their partnership with the March of Dimes, Alpha Phi Alpha’s Project Alpha seeks to provide mentoring to at-risk youth working within the African American community. Project Alpha is a national initiative that seeks to provide “education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility,” teaching young men ages 12 to 15 about fatherhood and the role of males in healthy relationships. Their program includes education on abstinence, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy in the hopes of inspiring wise decision making in the future.

Young Men Making 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.