Columbus Urban League | Urban Warriors Program

Urban Warriors
Protectors of the Village

Youth Mentoring and Violence Prevention for African-American Youth

Partners
Columbus Urban League’s office of A.A.M.I.
Columbus Public Schools (It Still Takes a Village Initiative)

Walter Smith of Team S.T.A.R.T.
Champion Middle School

Target Audience 40 African American Male students ages 12 – 18
The 40 will include 20 African-American male students from East High School and 20 African American male students from Champion Middle School.

Goals Increase the developmental Assets of each Student

	Give youth the knowledge and comfort of taking pride in who they are, as well as learning to appreciate people of different cultural, racial, financial, & ethnic backgrounds.
	Enrich the health of the youth with a holistic approach that will strengthen their mind, body, & soul.
	Teach youth the importance of core values such as; Caring, Integrity, Honesty, Responsibility, & Restraint.
	Create a more positive identity within the youth; (i.e. – Self-esteem, sense of purpose, positive view of their personal future).
	Foster a higher degree of cultural awareness, peaceful conflict resolution, planning, & decision making.
	Develop the critical thinking skills in youth by dissecting both the positive and negative socio-political messages in Hip-Hop and other various forms of multi-media.

33 Activity Dates	- 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM

January	- 28, 30
February	- 4, 6, 11, 13, 20, 25, 27
March	- 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 31
April	- 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30
May	- 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 28* (Last Day Celebration)

* Dates with (*) will not be located @ the YMCA & are not included into the 48 activity dates.

Logistical Overview
There will be a total 40 Students divided into two separate groups: (For alternating sessions: Physical and Cultural/Educational) 20 in each group which we will refer to as ‘Villages’. With this set-up we will maintain a student/mentor ratio of 5:1 so there will be a total of 8 mentors/instructors along with the 40 students. The 1 Hour of physical training will be further divided into 2 groups of 10 and will alternate between 2 physical activities and will rotate after 25 minutes.

*Note: There are 19 slots slated for East High School students and we want to give preference to a few of the students that Kweisi worked with at Champion last year. 1 High School slot is being held for a student at Independence. Additionally, I have 18 open slots for students from Champion. Two Champion middle school students have already been recruited / assigned to be a part of this program.

Time Line (Program runs from 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM)

2:30 – 3:00pm	Transportation to Activity Site
3:00 – 3:15pm	Stretching / Warm-Up
3:15 – 4:05pm	1st Session of Class Instruction / Physical Activities*
4:05 – 4:10pm	Transition Time
4:10 – 5:00pm	2nd Session of Class Instruction / Physical Activities*
5:00 – 5:15pm	Closing Session (All Students) – In Classroom
5:15 – 6:00pm	Students transported home

Class Instruction
The format for our class will be an open discussion where the instructors serve as facilitators as opposed to lecturers. We want the students to really explore some of the critical issues facing them, their families and their community.

	Student will gain a greater appreciation for the power of hip hop culture as global phenomenon influencing people around the world.
	Students will learn about the evolution of rap from the roots of our African Oral tradition to the spoken word movement.
	Students will learn about the importance of self-determination and the ability to define one’s self by taking a critical look at current hip-hop songs/messages and how we are portrayed to the global community.
	We will learn about our history dating back to ancient Kemet to the present day so that students have an understanding of where we came from, how we got here, and what we need to do to become a healthy community.
	Students will develop a life plan that will encompass short term and long term goals setting as they devise a road map outlining the attitudes, behaviors and actions that will be necessary to achieve their goals.
	Students will learn about Kwanzaa and how it was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African American people as well as Africans throughout the world African community. These values are called the Nguzo Saba which in Swahili means the Seven Principles. Developed by Dr. Karenga, the Nguzo Saba stand at the heart of the origin and meaning of Kwanzaa, for it is these values which are not only the building blocks for community but also serve to reinforce and enhance them.

	Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
	Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
	Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.
	Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
	Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
	Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
	Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
	Maulana Karenga

Physical Activities

	Designed to increase the physical ability and nutritional awareness of the youth.
	Expose youth to the various positive extracurricular physical activities that may not be available through the public school system; i.e. swimming, weightlifting/bodybuilding, boxing, yoga, etc.
	Create the opportunity for youth to release negative energies in a positive manner.