
DATE: Sunday, June 22, 1997                 TAG: 9706220144

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   84 lines

LEARNING WHAT IT TAKES TO BE MEN

If ever an afternoon was made for just hanging around, Saturday was it.

With school out and the temperature nearing 90, a young man could be forgiven for pulling on a pair of shorts, parking his ambition and doing absolutely nothing.

Not these guys, though. Not the ones in dress shirts and ties who gathered in the aerobics room at the Mount Trashmore YMCA.

They had something far more important to do. They were about to receive their diplomas from the Fatherhood/Manhood Empowerment Program, a prevention effort by the Virginia Beach Comprehensive Substance Abuse Program.

For the past nine months, the small group of 12- to 17-year-olds had spent most Tuesday evenings in class learning from four adult mentors what it really means to be a man, especially a good family man.

And they had spent most Saturday afternoons doing the things that young men enjoy doing: playing ball, working out, going to amusement parks and talking guy talk.

Now it was time to graduate. The world of summer just outside the door would have to wait until the speeches were made, the special awards given and the diplomas handed out.

None of the youngsters minded a bit. Nor did the parents, brothers, sisters and friends who were on hand to applaud them. All were aware of how much the program had affected their lives.

``I learned a lot,'' said 13-year-old Shanan Burns, a rising ninth-grader at Princess Anne High School. ``Especially when they told us about values, how much our values work in our families and how we need to love each other and stick up for each other.''

Greater understanding of the importance of family and clear values was exactly what the group's leaders had hoped for when they started recruiting students in 1994.

Most youngsters are referred to the Manhood Empowerment Program by someone who recognizes that they need strong male role models in their lives.

``Some were referred by their mothers, some by teachers and some by other agencies,'' said Ron Clark, the program's coordinator. ``What we're trying to do here is help these guys be good men, good fathers. We want them to be assets to the community, not liabilities.''

The 13 youngsters who graduated Saturday afternoon were among 21 youths who were enrolled last September. A 62 percent completion rate is considered exceptional in a voluntary program for young men, with little positive male influence, growing up in tough neighborhoods.

All 13 had remained in school throughout the year, even though some were as much as two years below grade level. Most were able to raise their grade-point averages significantly. In the 2 1/2-year history of the program, not one of the participants has fathered a child.

Staying in school and preventing teen-age pregnancies are the two main goals of the program.

The success of Virginia Beach's efforts has attracted state and national attention. Clark is frequently asked to consult with other communities. He recently received word that ABC World News was interested in featuring it in a ``Local Solutions to National Problems'' segment.

The attention for a program that brings out the best in young males pleases Clark tremendously.

``Usually you see kids like these in only one of two places in the newspaper,'' he said. ``They're either on the front because they've committed a crime or in the back in the obituaries because they've been a victim.''

On Saturday at Mount Trashmore, there were no criminals and no victims. Just youngsters and the people who care about them. ILLUSTRATION: IAN MARTIN color photos/The Virginian-Pilot

Graduates Justin Watson, 14, foreground, and Dwyan Morris, 13, spent

nine months learning the ropes.

McArthur Fields, head of the local Tuskegee Airmen chapter, spoke

Saturday.

Graphic

LESSONS FOR LIFE

The goal: The voluntary program teaches boys the importance of

family, staying in school and preventing teen-age pregnancy.

The results: 21 started the program and 13 finished. All 13 remained

in school and most raised their GPA's significantly.

McArthur Fields, head of the local Tuskegee Airmen chapter, spoke.