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Voices to Men
Empowerment
Voices to Men is designed to provide young men with the knowledge and skills to be socially and economically successful community leaders. Through a variety of targeted sessions, outings, and exercises with male mentors, participants will demonstrate knowledge of and strategically use their social, educational, and real voices and challenge the often-restrictive story plaguing men of color. In doing so, participants will speak their rich stories, discuss relevant and pressing issues in a supportive environment, heal, and grow.
Guiding Framework:
S: Space to Speak My Story
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Most of the young men are told to be silent and compliant. We want to hear their story as they understand it in their own language.
A: Audience of Peers and Mentors
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When men get together there are issues we understand in a unique way, while our perception is individual our experience is collective. We are often empowered by community.
F: Forum for Issues that are Important
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The issues that face our young men are important to them, this is a place to talk about them.
E: Experiences to Help Men Grow
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Sometimes we can’t see what the end result of our work may be but seeing others who have faced our same challenges and succeeded gives us confidence and a blueprint for our own success.
Goals:
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Giving young men a voice to create a sense of community.
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Expanding participants’ abilities to navigate life’s challenges.
Students Engage In:
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Barbershop Talks
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Physical Activities
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Social and Cultural Outings
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Team Building Exercises
Program Length:
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January – June
Eligibility Status:
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9th – 12th grader
VOICE:
Raw expression of how personal truths are realized, actualized, and expressed.
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SOCIAL VOICE:
Charged by the essence of advocacy, can change the trajectory of their lives.
“Can I make a difference?”
“I have ideas…How do I mobilize them and turn them into a plan of action
to help my community?”
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EDUCATIONAL VOICE:
Conscious youth understand what they know and express why their knowledge matters.
"What resources are available that I can access in a place where I won’t be
reluctant or embarrassed to ask?”
“What strategies are available to help me explore my opportunities?”
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REAL VOICE:
Unfettered youth have an authentic awareness of their current space and place in life.
“I want to talk the way I understand, not the way you want me to talk, not in a way that makes sense to you, but in a way, that makes sense to me—no buffers, no autocorrect.”