Brothers on the Rise: New Advisory Board and Council members!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

New Advisory Board and Council members!

Brothers on the Rise is proud to announce that Hugh Morrison of Glenview Community Association has clarified his commitment, and is now a member of our Advisory Board.

We also welcome Joy Lee Ware, a parent at Edna Brewer Middle School, to our Advisory Council.

Thanks to you both for your dedication to Brothers on the Rise and the boys and families we serve!

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Project Components

Counseling: Talking about feelings does not fit within traditional masculinity (Real, 1997) so many males choose not to enter counseling. Sadly, the most “difficult to reach” adolescent male often ends up in the criminal justice system (Counseling Magazine, 2007). Peaceful Warriors Project therefore uses boys groups integrating media, arts, and culture to facilitate sharing, skill building and problem solving in a fun and safe environment. Redefining male strength as self-control, inner-peace, and healthy relationships, we prevent unwanted behaviors and build a positive peer network to support student success.

Conflict Resolution: Though peer mediations involve boys and girls, this project is important as it deals directly with young men’s conflict management. By having an adult male professional with a counseling degree as the Mediation Coordinator, we engage respected young men as mediators and assure that males feel comfortable accessing this valuable violence prevention program. An alternative to walking away or telling, which often results in teasing and further conflict, BOTR mediation is handled with sensitivity, understanding and skill, thereby gaining trust to engage young men in peaceful conflict resolution.

Leadership Development: The transition from elementary to middle school has been called one of the toughest, with after-school hours identified as the riskiest for violence, drugs and sexual activity (www.SafeYouth.org). BOTR therefore targets 6th grade males for this project, engaging 7th graders as peer leaders and 8th graders as paid interns. Each year, participants move through middle school orientation, a holistic health curriculum, training on youth work and peer education, and delivery of leadership workshops for elementary school boys. Throughout, older males from agencies like Youth Alive and Ella Baker Center come in as speakers and team-building trips are taken to keep students engaged.

Mentoring: A bond with a caring adult is a protective factor that affects all areas of youth behavior and development. Yet for males who may lack this bond with their dad, providers have had trouble finding male mentors to fill this role. BOTR therefore continues working with Glenview Community Association to connect students with a diverse group of men representing a variety of professions. With speaker events already integrated into other BOTR programs, on-going group mentoring will now also occur through monthly lunch meetings and additional weekend trips outdoors.

Organizing & Training: The BOTR facilitated Task Force on Young Men are Edna Brewer school staff working to improve males’ educational outcomes. As young men made up 80% of school discipline referrals, the Task Force created a plan to improve behavior, raise grades and prepare males for successful adulthood. As we implement our plan, we can provide a model for others dedicated to this task. Besides this group, BOTR is available to facilitate others, offer training and consult on effectively working with young men.

Project Need & Approach

Oakland is a city known for high levels of interpersonal violence, and systemic challenges such as poverty, lack of jobs and under-resourced schools. BOTR therefore provides not only social services, but also engages in social change through youth-run projects funded by Youth UpRising, and connections to activist groups like Silence the Violence. Our “responsible empowerment” approach recognizes male privilege and violence against women, developing males as allies to channel our strength towards a just and equitable society for all.

Project History & Future

Brothers on the Rise (BOTR) is based at Oakland’s Edna Brewer Middle School, where Jon Gilgoff has provided young men’s services for two years. Now established as a fiscally sponsored project of San Francisco Study Center, BOTR will broaden its impact with the help of new staff, Advisory groups, volunteers, interns and community partners.

With a base of funding and in-kind support provided by Edna Brewer, Oakland Unified School District, and Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (through our partnership with Safe Passages), BOTR is poised for a successful nonprofit launch. During 2008-2009, we aim to expand existing programs at Edna Brewer, re-enter the Family Justice Center where Mr. Gilgoff previously served boys affected by violence, and begin replication of our successful programs at other Oakland schools and centers.

Brothers on the Rise

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

New Advisory Board and Council members!

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Completion Ceremony 2008

Project Components

Project Need & Approach

Project History & Future

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