COMMUNITY
T
he transition from a boy to a man can involved with gangs, drugs or have run into underlying reasons for gun crime. It includes
be a challenging - and sometimes - trouble with the police. key elements such as understanding the
perilous one. This can be especially factors/context behind youth gun violence,
true if the youths have been brought up in a Whilst following the day course at the citizenship/social responsibility, managing
harsh and unfriendly environment, at home foundation, they not only follow a stress, anger & adversity, embracing
and/or in the community at large, and have comprehensive curriculum to get them back diversity, fact & fi ction about gangs and faith
lacked positive role models whilst growing on their educational road, they also have to in the Law.
up. adhere to a code of conduct that instils in
them empowering moral principals such as Back in October 07, The Boyhood to Manhood
2007 has seen too many killings of young accountability, respect and service to the Foundation was the recipient of the BeMobo
black people, committed by one of their community. The foundation places great award, at the prestigious Mobo event, for
own. The problem is debated at great length emphasis on well-being and self-healing. It ‘its outstanding work in the community with
by the general press, but there comes a time does this by encouraging self-knowledge, hard to reach young men and its work on Gun
when the talking needs to be followed by the relationships and community participation. Crime.’
doing. The participants are also taught about the
power of forgiveness and of knowing love When she accepted the award, Decima
Already as far back as 1999, two very through experiential life challenges. Francis said to a standing audience and to
concerned members of the south London the millions watching the show, ‘I am going
community decided to tackle the problem The 2007 OFSTED report could not be to have a go at the musicians. You have no
of black youths heading for a life of trouble, more complimentary of what the school is right to make me, as a 53 year old woman,
violence and possibly jail. Decima Francis achieving and also how it is doing it: ‘Pupils’ travelling around the world, be subject to be
and Uanu Seshmi founded the Boyhood to excellent progress in attendance, behaviour called a whore, and a bitch and a this and a
Manhood Foundation, to specifi cally address and personal development is due to the that. How dare you? How dare you? How
the issues that were turning black boys into outstanding provision for spiritual, moral, dare you? If you can’t write, don’t do it, but
potential under-achievers and failures in social and cultural development. […] Pupils get a dictionary and use the language. Don’t
life. The foundation provides a tailor made develop very a good awareness of their own call us names. We give birth to you. We
education program that tackles the youths’ and other cultures through, for example, carry you for nine months. And we go to the
problems, such as low-self-esteem, lack of the staff challenging their thinking about hospital wards with no guarantee that we are
confi dence and poor social and inter-personal street culture and using Chinese meditation coming out alive, sane or well. And we will
skills. And the foundation has to this day techniques to develop correct posture, never get our fi gures back. We want young
succeeded in turning the lives around of breathing and concentration.” people to live. This is called black music.
more than eleven thousand young boys, Well, let me tell you what Shakespeare said:
some of whom have carried on with their The Foundation was also involved in “If music be the food of love, play on!”, not
studies, joined colleges and gained academic devising a whole program to be taught in “if music is there to destroy communities and
qualifi cations. schools. Calling the Shots is a multi-media lives.” Don’t play it and communities, don’t
education and information resource designed buy it.”
The lack of positive, and up-close, personal to engage young people and stimulate
role models can spell disaster during the discussion about their attitudes towards guns. Decima Francis said it beautifully, strongly
crucial transitory period when a boy slowly It was done with the collaboration of young and very clearly. Who could not agree with
becomes a man. The youths, who are referred people, community groups, educators, law her words and share her passion to keep our
to the Boyhood to Manhood foundation by enforcement agencies, policy makers and young black boys alive?
local education authorities, special needs crime reduction networks. Its programme
For more information about the foundation,
departments, youth-offending teams and is to provide teachers, educators and youth visit www.usatfbmf.com
social services departments, have too often workers with the tools to work with young
been excluded from school, have become people towards a better understanding of the by our staff writer. P
www.thepromota.co.uk THEPROMOTA | 39
ppromotamagazine_issue12.indd isabelle corrected.indd 39romotamagazine_issue12.indd isabelle corrected.indd 39 330/11/2007 21:50:090/11/2007 21:50:09
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