The Problem
The birth defect that occurred during the delivery of this nation has always been the issue of “racial and economic disparity/inequality”. It is a problem that we have yet to overcome, and, in a sense for some, even acknowledge. Unfortunately, a chasm was formed. Somehow, education lost its significance and presence as a vehicle for social mobility in many low income African-American communities. The “shortcut” of the entertainment industrial complex suppressed deferred gratification and promoted immediate gratification. Fortunately, the F.O.C.U.S program is here.
Many young adults may have fallen victim to peer pressure or lack of focus and now find themselves lost or hopeless. Some may even have criminal backgrounds that are stopping them from achieving their inherent greatness.
There is a definite connection between academic achievement and the “prison pipeline.”
Unfortunately, one of the lowest performing groups academically is African-American boys. And one of the groups with the highest incarceration rates is African-American males. There are a number of reasons for this disparity, education may be only one of them. We will, nevertheless, convert the hopeless to the hopeful by instilling the importance of education and/or training.
We will help bring the gift of “literacy”, in all forms, technological, civic, cultural, emotional, etc. We will convert the “unfocused” to “focused”. We will establish an agenda and a strategy for success. EDUCATION CAN BE MEDICINAL. We are highly trained educators and social scientists who have developed a program to educate in areas where it is badly needed.
The Solution (Our Program)
Literacy is a team sport. Corporations partnering with grassroots organizations can create counter marketing strategies to negate the negative effects of pop culture. In economically compromised communities, education and training create more opportunities for individuals to succeed. We will package and deliver the message in a unique way.
Who Benefits?
CHILDREN
Our program will coach and mentor children from economically compromised households. We will, of course, eventually service all race and ethnic categories, both boys and girls. We will grow as we go. However, because the problem is so severe, initially our elementary school initiative will focus on African-American boys, targeting reading and writing skills, later adding math and science.
For example, the Educational Testing Services (2016) report that the connection between reading in early childhood and its impact on future years is clear. The report also states the following: “That’s a problem for black boys. Only 10 percent of eighth-grade black boys in the U.S. are proficient in reading.” We must intervene early to address this problem.
For nearly 10 years, we conducted, in a partnership with a local school district and a local community college, a very successful reading initiative, called the FOCUS Project. The designers were/are certified teachers with graduate degrees. We are ready to expand our services to a broader area in order to serve more. Again, we will adopt the entire family into our program because we believe that literacy is a team sport. The child cannot do it alone.
STUDENT-ATHLETES
Another component of our initiative will focus on student athletes. Sports play an important role in some communities. We hope to partner with AAU and Pop Warner leagues, and professional leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. If some of our young scholar-athletes are fortunate enough to get college scholarships, we want them to go with a different attitude. We believe that students should go to “college to play sports” and not go for “sports to play college”. Being a student comes first. That is why it is student-athlete and not athlete-student. Our program will train young athletes to remain “focused” on scholarly as well as athletic efforts. An educated athlete will be more productive and conscientious. Again, we will provide tutoring and mentoring services that will assist the student-athlete with the challenge of staying focused, on and off the courts, fields, and diamonds.
COMMUNITIES
When education returns to the agenda as a salient feature, the communities will benefit. We believe in investing in the education system instead of the criminal justice system. Improved communities start by improving individuals and families. We will conduct seminars and programs that will spread the power of partnerships……that is part of our cause. We will work with churches, police departments, college organizations, fraternities and sororities, along with other groups to teach young African-Americans the beauty of “how being educated is cool.” This is a grassroots, community effort to point these young children in a different direction, to give them a different FOCUS. Literacy is team sport.
How We Will Do It: The F.O.C.U.S Program
Orientation and Cultivation
Before the instructional component with the children begins, families will be given their “FOCUS” jerseys and will pledge to support our cause. We will need to know what their perceived “needs” are. We will need to let them know what our expectations of them are. We will conduct two orientation sessions. Our goal is to build a team spirit. Our 10 years of experimenting and experience show that the idea of academic achievement with rewards and awards, can spread quickly among young people. We hope that celebrity interests and support will fuel this neo-movement. But, it all starts at the bottom, grassroots.
The Program
- Two-week Summer Reading Camps
- Post-Camp In-School Monthly Maintenance, year-round
- After School and Supplemental Instruction for K-8
- GED programs
- College Prep Workshops
- Counseling (provided by licensed counselors)
- Career Counseling (provided by College Academic Advisors)
- Partnerships with Community Colleges
- Computer Literacy Workshops
- Programs for Newly Released Felons