Conducting proactive and comprehension extended day program crafted to fill in the missing pieces to manhood by motivating at risk boys toward character, competence and career development
Target Population
Boys who fit most or all of these criteria:
Are in 4th grade at a Baltimore City Public School
Live in a single-parent, female-led household with few positive male role models consistently present
Live with a lower-income family
Live in communities and/or homes with a high crime rate or drug use/trafficking
Live in communities and/or homes with an excessive high school dropout or unemployment rate
Have performed below grade level and are likely to struggle academically based on school assessments
Have shown a history of behavior problems in school
Are not engaged in positive extracurricular activities
The boys are selected with input from the Teachers. Boys must be proficient in at least one core subject, have one gaurdian supportive of the program and demonstrate some willingness to learn and respect authority.
Organizational Background
The vision for the Acts4Youth programs grew from a teacher's frustration over the behavior of boys in his class. After seeking to learn more about their misbehavior and underperformance in school, the teacher found many contributing factors. Almost every boy came from a home and community with multiple factors that made them "at risk" to underperformance, crime, drug addiction, early sexual behavior, drop out and unemployment. The primary developers of our program have over 50 years of urban educational experience.
Concept or Theory
Place the right people (especially men) with a few boys, early and often, using expeditionary learning methods, and celebrate character and competence within a vocational context and communicate they are needed, capable and supported.
Communication
Conflict Management
Finance/Business Management
Crictical Thinking
Future Planning
Guiding Principal
Make decisions as if the boys were our own children.
A4Y is designed to fill in the missing pieces to manhood by addressing the students’ need for:
Frequent contact with positive male role models
Broader horizons and networks
A sense of membership in a positive peer group
Affirmation
A sense of future
Developing essential character traits and competencies
Self Awareness
Receiving love, healing and renewal
These needs have been supported by the Maryland Task Force on Education of African American Males, March 2007.
The need Acts4Youth is addressing is the need for a faith based organization to partner with at risk boys’ homes and public schools to conduct proactive and extensive programs designed to address core needs that are being universally overlooked and under attended to
How the A4Y Program Works
A4Y is an outside-of-school program designed for boys to begin in Grade 4 and continue through Grade 9. Each year we plan to host a new class of 4th-grade boys, with up to 50 in the program at a time depending on our resources.We meet at Guilford School four afternoons a week, as well as two week nights and one weekend a month, throughout the entire school year.
Our curriculum, based on 8 Acts of Development (see below), emphasizes small-group activities and uses business trips, entrepreneurship classes, team building, service projects, mentoring sessions, financial management classes and conflict resolution sessions. Summer camps, sports, trips, clubs and commission are used as incentives to reward performance.
We track students’ progress at school and A4Y programs with weekly reports, quizzes, and class work grades.
Long Term Objectives
Boys who graduate from the A4Y program should be well equipped to attend a top-tier high school or a vocational training program, begin a high level internship, explain a financial portfolio and start a micro business. We also hope to see them becoming an integral member of a school or community team and growing spiritually.
The 8 Acts of Development
Students of the A4Y program participate in 8 “acts” of character and competence development:
1.Academic Advancement
Students receive math tutoring from their classroom teachers and read books on influential African American Men. After reading a book they write a book report and give a presentation to younger students.
2. Business Expeditions
Students tour local businesses and interview their owners. In middle school they will job shadow employees and prepare for internships.
3. Financial Literacy
Students will complete lessons on basic to intermediate financial management while using interactive projects and games where they compete to see who can best manage their money.
4. Team-Building Challenges
To build critical thinking and communications skills, we place the students into “companies” (small groups) and work together to solve physical and mental challenges. Every so often, we form a huddle and help reinforce these important skills with a series of questions.
5. Peace Makers
To teach conflict resolution skills, the students read stories about various characters who encounter conflict. After each story, a group facilitator uses a series of questions, role plays, and workbooks to help the students practice conflict resolution.
6. Making Cents
Through role-playing exercises, students have the opportunity to be consultants to fictitious characters who want to start businesses. As consultants, they must demonstrate an important way of thinking needed to be an entrepreneur, in the process learning over 20 principles of entrepreneurship including seizing opportunity, finding finances, balancing supply and demand, and serving customers.
7. Service Projects
Each month the students work with groups of volunteers to complete a school enhancement project, such as painting classrooms.
8. Life Coaching
Students will work with male role models to complete workbooks on self awareness, play team oriented games, take adventures and build projects.
Mission
Motivate at risk boys toward character, competence and career development.
Support A4Y
http://acts4youth.com
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