PROJECT SOAR GIVES STRUGGLING AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS A LEG UP ON LIFE
“Whatever the child is missing, we’re going to match him with a mentor that can provide that piece.” - J.R. Sims
year we want to provide the highest quality of services.” Once registered in the program, a participant is evaluated to determine his needs, and then paired with a suitable mentor who can best address those needs. “Whatever the child is missing, we’re going to match him with a mentor that can provide that piece,” he adds. With Project SOAR, 100 Black Men of Madison expects to reduce truancy rates by 7 percent in the next three years among African American students between the ages of 12 and 17, and increase graduation rates by 5 percent over the same period. SOAR has also committed 2,000 hours of community service from participants. Project SOAR is the rst program of its kind in the country in its scope and concept, according to Sims. The initiative was spearheaded by 100 Black Men of Madison, a local chapter of a national organization with a storied history of mentorship and community development. As it progresses, Sims says Project SOAR will serve as a model for future programs on the national scale under the leadership of 100 Black Men of America. “If we can help this many kids and give them someone to talk to, give them action items they can take advantage of, and allow them to see themselves in a different light,” Sims says, “it’s a win for everybody involved.” Building on a history of service
“We hope to instill a positive self image and teach them the meaning of a brand - that they themselves are their own brand,” says Sims. “We hope to make them bigger than we receive them.”
Front line referrals maximize efcacy
Its “soft roll out” in September reinforced an emphasis on the quality of services provided to a student, rather than the quantity of students reached. Project SOAR has partnered with Madison Metropolitan School District, where professionals across the 36 district schools refer students who meet the criteria of living either in poverty, in a single-parent household, in foster care, or are involved in the juvenile justice system. “We rely on teachers and social workers because they’re on the front lines with these students,” says Sims. “When a teacher sees someone experiencing issues, they can refer them to us.” The program enrolls individuals as they are referred, gradually approaching its capacity of 40 students with direct mentors, 350 students enrolled in the success academy, and 350 to take part in the career academy. Participants may enroll in one or both of the academies. 100 Black Men has also enlisted the help of the Madison Police Department and juvenile justice system for referrals to redirect at-risk youth from a criminal path. “Our body of work will far exceed our working body,” says Sims. “This rst
CULTURE
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