Young Men of Vision is a leadership development program for middle school aged students focused on their development in six areas: STEAM, self-awareness, social intelligence, higher education, career and health and wellness. The program consists of multiple concentrated and focused learning opportunities designed to teach critical residual skills students will ascertain and utilize for a life time.
These skills will be taught through seminars, workshops, competitions, tutoring, community service, field trips and tours. Students will be able to engage with multiple facilitators/speakers who has expertise in the area they will be assisting in. Students will also have access to a personal trainer to assist them with health and wellness during the program.
At the beginning of the program participants will be assessed to determine their academic performance and attendance in the classroom. Students will also be given a pre-survey that will assess their initial understanding going into the program. Students will also receive a fitness evaluation from a personal trainer. At the end of the program, students will be re-assessed in the same manner so that a comparative analysis can be performed. It is the intention of the program to have had a positive, measurable effect on each of these aspects over the course of the program.
Young Men of Vision will be 24 weeks long. Students that are eligible for this program are those who are currently enrolled in a participating middle school, in grades 6-8. Enrollment in the program is referral- based via the school’s administration. The program will accept 20 male students. In schools that also have elementary students, the program will accept 10 additional students (5 fourth graders and 5 fifth graders). Students will meet for 2 hours immediately afterschool, 1-2 per week.
Goals, Objectives and Outcomes
Goal: Increase student’s self-confidence/awareness and social intelligence
Objectives: Facilitate workshop geared toward the development of a different skill(s) every week
Outcomes: Students should be able to identify one or more of their passions
Outcome: Students will be able to demonstrate various skills throughout the program
Goal: Increase grades and literacy of students
Objectives: Tutor students an hour per week in subjects where they have a c- or below.
Outcome: Students will demonstrate academic improvement over each report card marking
Objective: Enroll all students in book club where they will read aloud and share their interpretation of what they have read
Outcome: Students will demonstrate an increased vocabulary
Goal: Increase attendance and decrease suspensions
Objective: Connect with students outside of the program’s academic curriculum for 30-60 minutes every two weeks to discuss and gauge their mental and emotional health
Outcome: Students will be challenged to work through their current circumstances/issues and provided resources to help them do so
Objectives: Provide a pair of school shoes for each participant, each school year
Objectives: Provide three uniforms for each participant, each school year
Objectives: Distribute food for students every week to sustain them over the weekend
Outcome: Students will attend class more often
Goal: Prepare students for college and career
Objectives: Facilitate interviewing and resume workshops in the career and education quarter
Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate proficient resume and interviewing skills
Objectives: Visit and tour a higher education institute every other quarter
Outcomes: Students will be able to identify one or more career options (or college major) based on their passions
Goal: Enable students to develop pride and accountability in their community
Objective: Complete one community service activity per quarter
Outcome: Students will gain awareness of the needs of their communities
Objective: Students will plan and execute the community service activity for quarter four
Outcome: Students will learn how they can offer their service to address the needs of their communities
Goal: Teach Students how to take responsibility and be accountable for their actions
Objective: Enable students to retain 80% of their stipends after quarter one
Outcome: Students will learn how their actions and inactions impact their stipends and seek to be more responsible quarter to quarter to prevent reductions.