Thursday, July 15^th

Black Professionals Seek to Mentor Polk's Minority Students

Dr. Alexander Mbakwem wants to see more people who look like him in the medical profession.

To help make that happen, he is learning how to be a mentor to Polk County students.

"The kids need to be exposed to people who are not athletes and singers," Mbakwem said. "There are not enough role models to say, 'Go to school and don't commit crimes.' They need to see people who are doing well so they can say if he can do it, then I can do it."

Mbakwem, who moved to Central Florida four years ago from Connecticut, is one of eight black professionals who have decided to get more involved in Polk schools. Read More

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Youth Intervention Program Opens Springfield Center

An organization that has claimed success in reducing youth violence in a troubled city in eastern Massachusetts has opened a new center in Springfield to work with high risk young people.

The non profit organization, called Roca, runs an intervention program for very high risk people ages 18 to 24 who have little or no education, have never held a job , have been in trouble with the law, and can't find a fit in any other program. Roca's executive director Molly Baldwin says the young people learn skills that can lead to employment and positive behavioral changes. Read More

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Connecting Youths to Portland's Economy

As high school dropout rates remain a serious concern in Portland, city policy makers and activists are exploring new ways to keep kids on the right track. An array of efforts, run by both the city and nonprofit organizations, are aimed at involving youths with the local economy, as well as give them the necessary skills and experience to be successful in college and beyond.

On Wednesday, July 6, with three members present, the city council unanimously passed a measure, jointly proposed by Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Dan Saltzman, which will provide $500 tax credits for businesses that offer “career readiness” training for youths, and businesses that hire youths in foster care. Read More

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Gang Violence Motivates Champion Ultra Runner to Take Action

In response to a recent U.S. Department of Justice study which found gangs and gang violence on the rise at the same time that prevention and intervention programs are falling off with budget cuts from states to localities, three time 6 Day Arizona Race Champion and elite ultra marathon runner, John Radich has decided to take action in the best way that he knows how.

John will be running in his 10th Badwater Ultra Marathon in support of a crime prevention program that works. Radich is fund raising for The Way to Happiness Foundation, www.twth.org, a non-profit group headquartered in Glendale, California that for over 25 years has helped youth live better lives by choosing a life away from drugs, gangs, bullying and violence and has lowered violence and crime wherever their flagship booklet called "The Way to Happiness" has been widely distributed. Read More

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Canyons Trains Students to Be Inclusive of Diversity

This fall, teams of 25 teens at each of Canyons School District's four high schools hope to root out prejudice and build inclusive environments for all students.

On Tuesday, Canyons completed a two-day leadership training for 100 students with Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a longtime civil-rights group based in Montgomery, Alabama.

The training, and partnership with the center, were born from a Canyons probe this spring into incidents of racism at Alta High. The investigation began after a junior, a white male, allegedly wore a Ku Klux Klan-like hood and made pro-Nazi references at a school assembly. A week later, two students circulated a text message showing a Klansman in front of a burning cross. All three were cited by Sandy police and referred to juvenile court.

In April, Canyons reported it had "confirmed" there were additional "serious racial incidents" at Alta, but the school district didn't reveal the details. The district referred those incidents to Sandy Police. Read More

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