Boys2Men Symposium 2009 D.A.R.E To Man Up: Discipline, Accountability, Responsibility, and Education SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2009 @N.C.I.
Click here for thriller Alan Crotzer Video from past conference!
> Who Are We?
The Boys2Men Planning Committee is comprised of members from varying community based agencies, businesses and organizations that recognize the need for ongoing intervention programs to improve the quality of life for male teens in Duval County.
> Our Goals?
Provide resources, tools and learning experiences that will empower
male teens to make social, economic and academic choices that will
improve their quality of life.
Promote programs and services that have proven successful at meeting
the needs of male teens and those providing services to male teens.
Provide male teens a venue in which they can actively engage in a dialogue
to voice concerns and address issues they deem relevant.
> Why the specific focus on male teens?
African American males face social, environment and economic factors that
lead to systemic conditions that negatively affect their quality of life. Homicide,
arrest and incarceration rates, poverty, violence, drug abuse, disparate annual
income levels, lack of culturally appropriate educational systems and biases in
healthcare delivery systems all work to create a system that is extremely
difficult for this population to navigate.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention cite homicide as
the leading cause of death for black males between the ages of 15 and 34.
According to the Center for Disease Control, black men live an average
of 7.1 years less than other racial groups.
According to the Alternative School Network, over the past five years,
one in every four black men in the US was permanently unemployed,
a rate double that of white men.
According to the Justice Policy Institute, black men in there early 30's
are twice more likely to have prison records than Bachelors degrees.
Our ultimate goal is to address the barriers preventing Black males to "survive and thrive" by providing
tools and assistance to persons and programs that work directly with male teens,
to aide them in more effectively serve this population. As well, we seek to engage
male teens in developing life affirming solutions to resolving systemic barriers
they regularly face.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!
"Too many minority boys grow up these days believing they don't deserve the reward life holds for others. Beaten down by low expectations and an onslaught of degrading stereotypes, they learn to see themselves as society often sees them, not as real men but as caricatures of men whose only chance for success lies in violence and crime."
