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When you hear the words Boys to Men what do you think about? Justin timberlake? Pop music? Boy bands? Maybe your mind travels to the old R&B sensation of the 20th century. This particular group is none of the following.
This past week, co-founder Professor Gustavus (Gus) Griffin, was interviewed in hopes of capturing the group’s objective and their overall vision. This new program, created to target Black and African-American youth, serves as a mentoring base that tracks the academic success of these young boys.
Participants are monitored by mentors each semester, who help gauge academic progression and build academic excellence amongst other traits such as improving self-esteem and social empowerment.
The program was formulated with the intention of helping these individuals build the necessary character traits that would result in completing set goals. In this program; relationship building is vital, as it helps to create a sense of belonging and comfortability that results in the student’s efforts to better themselves. Boys To Men ultimately seeks to transform young and hesitant boys to mature and studious men.
Through a series of meetings, community activities, group discussions, and travel opportunities, the program sets an agenda that seeks to meet the success of each and every member.
When sitting with Professor Griffin, a mentor in the program, a question asked was “How influential was this group?” His answer came in the form of testimonies from recent members of the group who went on to make significant milestones through the backing of the program.
A student detailed his efforts to do better in school, after feeling as if hope was lost. Prior to his joining Boys To Men he was an uninvolved and uncaring college student with a GPA that reflected his demeanor. When recruited and mentored by Professor Griffin, he exclaims his radical turn around that resulted in a transfer to Temple University; possible because of his GPA increase to a 4.0
Boys To Men avidly forms strength and stability within the individuals involved. The program has existed since 2008 and only improves as it grows and incorporates more involvement within the community.
Retention rates from members in the group are 75.8 percent as of 2013 which topped all other groups in comparison. When asked if changes could be added to implement improvement Professor Griffin stated that he is “always looking for ways and suggestions that will make this program better.” One idea they’ve implemented was the group’s new book discussion. During this time the members of the program get together and discuss a novel, covering the depths of the book, and making correlations to their own lives. This improves literacy and helps the young men expand their knowledge. “Learning is imperative” said Professor Griffin.
Overall, Boys To Men proves successful in regards to capturing their goals. By helping to develop a sense of community on campus and beyond, the program actively forms a bond amongst its members involved. With this sense of belonging in addition to the overseeing of the mentors assigned to help, the transformation from boy to men is a smooth transition.
Seeking to foster a degree of personal responsibility, the youth are opened up to a variety of new experiences that’ll shape their futures at MC and beyond. Although specifically aimed towards Blacks and African-American males, anyone is welcome to attend the events sponsored by the group.