| For Release: Immediately | Audrey Bailey 919-807-6963 |
|
Date: Friday, April 13, 2007
|
Chancy Kapp 919-807-6962 kappc@nccommunitycolleges.edu |
Scholarships awarded,
promised at minority male
mentoring conference
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK: Community college students found out today (Friday, April 13) that taking time to listen and learn pays off in lots of ways -- including literally, in the form of scholarships.
Many
students were among more than 700 people packed into the Minority
Male Mentoring Conference the past three days at the Sheraton
Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park. Two of them -- Jamelle
Harris from Vance-Granville Community College (left) and Flexica
Speight from Wilson Technical Community College (right) -- each
left the Minority Male Mentoring Conference with $500 scholarships,
thanks to a drawing sponsored by Sallie Mae Foundation.
Student
participants at the conference will also have the chance to compete
for two $2500 scholarships pledged by Kenneth Gary, President and
CEO of the Gary Foundation. The Gary Foundation will work with the
North Carolina Community College System to determine selection
criteria, which will include enrollment in college in fall 2007 and
submission of an essay. Funds will go directly to institutions to
help pay expenses for each recipient.
The scholarship announcement capped a dynamic conference focused on the theme Men are Nurturers, Too! The North Carolina Community College System sponsored the conference in partnership with the North Carolina Fatherhood Development Advisory Council, which strives to promote competencies, increase knowledge, and provide training to local and statewide fatherhood organizations in their efforts in assisting and supporting fathers and their families.
Three days of workshops, seminars and major addresses offered minority men and their advocates strategies for improving lives and communities. The conference emphasized mentoring minority men in community colleges and reaching out to high school students about planning successful futures.
The conference began on night with an inspiring message from former Philadelphia mayor, North Carolinas native Rev. Dr. Wilson Goode, who shared chilling statistics.
Calling prisons our "21st Century enslavement, " Rev. Goode said, "Seventy percent of children with fathers in jail also go to jail. The incarceration rate for African-American males is seven times greater than that of whites. '
He challenged men in the audience to "go back, reach back, and give back" part of their success to fight this crisis. His presentation ended with hundreds of males in the audience rising and taking a pledge to do just that.
The conference included workshops on education, fatherhood, child support, making the right personal choices, managing money, breaking the cycle of fatherlessness, motivating young boys for leadership, and working in the community to address negative statistics relating to minority men.
In a roundtable discussion led by columnist Barry Saunders of The News and Observer of Raleigh, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson of the National Partnership for Community Leadership suggested family is the answer.
"We also need to know the difference between 'nurture' and 'neuter,' "he said. He suggested that while it is important to provide support, there must also be the opportunity for self achievement and self realization.
Conference organizers presented awards to individuals who have supported minority male mentoring efforts in community colleges and to recognize the positive contributions that men and family advocates make in supporting fathers and families.
Kenneth Gary, who stood in for his father Willie Gary, told the audience that although he was a busy man, he made time to contribute to young people each month.
"Money is important, but kids also need our time," he said. He challenged everyone in the room to spend a minimum of ten minutes each month serving as a positive role model for a young person. "I guarantee you probably will do more," he said, "but at least promise to do that."
"Your mind is a powerful thing and it is up to you to decide how you use it," he told students at the conference. He shared information about those who have sacrificed so the black youth of today could have their freedoms.
"Don't waste your mind, time, and history," he said. "Reach for the stars, refuse to be denied, and never, ever, do less than your best." Finally, he told the group, "have faith in God, there is power in His presence."
The North Carolina Community College System enrolls more than 800,000 students in 58 comprehensive community colleges. Internationally recognized for the scope and quality of its programs, the system is North Carolina's primary provider of workforce preparation and adult education.
The System's involvement in Minority Male Mentoring as a specific program began more than four years ago with a grant from the Governor's Crime Commission for five community colleges: Wayne Community College (Goldsboro); Durham Technical Community College (Durham), Mitchell Community College (Statesville), Piedmont Community College (Roxboro), and Southeastern Community College (Whiteville). The concept has now taken hold on many more campuses. The Expansion Budget request for the North Carolina Community College System includes $630,000 in new funds for Minority Male Mentoring..
For details, visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu
-NCCCS-
Last modified:
Friday, April 13, 2007 05:58:49 PM
This page maintained by Chancy Kapp.