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How do you help 300 at-risk teens stay in school and out of jail? You link them with businesses who employ them for 24 hours a week — as long as they keep their grades up — and provide mentors to teach them life skills.
The Year-Round Employment Program was unveiled by James Shelby, president and CEO of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, at a State of Black America 2007 news conference at City Hall on Tuesday.
Backed by school superintendents, city and county officials and activists, Shelby said the entire Sacramento region needs to join forces to help young Black men who need it most.
“The time to move is now,” he said. “Solving the problem is not about blaming — it’s how do we fix it?”
Research shows that children whose fathers take an active role in their educational lives earn better grades, get better test scores, enjoy school more, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.
Additionally, children have fewer behavior problems when fathers listen to and talk with their children regularly and are active in their lives.
A good father is part of a good parent team and is critical to creating a strong family structure. Strong family structures produce children who are more academically proficient, socially developed and self-assured. Such children become adults who are valuable assets to their communities.
The Black Star Project is organizing an international “Men In Schools Volunteer Day” on March 2, 2007, to involve men in structured, simple and effective activities in the lives of children.
This follow-up to taking children to school during the Million Father March supports the involvement of biological fathers, surrogate fathers and other men in the educational and social developmental lives of children in schools, in their homes and in their communities.
The “Men In Schools Volunteer Day” will channel the energy of men into schools as:
- Board and council members who are involved in the governance of schools
- Volunteer hall and playground monitors who provide a presence of security and leadership to the schools
- Field trip chaperones who encourage new learning and the expansion of ideas by seeking out new educational venues
- Tutors who teach youth new concepts and reinforce necessary skills and knowledge
- Volunteer maintenance support to improve the physical condition of the school by cleaning, painting, gardening, and repairing the building
- Mentors who provide encouragement, inspiration and motivation, career counseling and college awareness to students
- Instructors providing presentations on responsible fatherhood and parenting to students
- Readers who teach children in grades pre-school through third grade the value of reading and speaking properly
- Elders in a simple rites of passage program
- Advocates for effective fatherhood, parenting and family living.
This program is for elementary and high schools and will be managed by The Black Star Project. Schools across the country can participate by officially registering as a partner school in this international initiative. The Black Star Project will list all schools in its official directory and provide schools with an organizing kit to make this day a success.