The Perry sisters, Angelia and Aundrea, understand the importance of teenage boys having strong male role models in their lives – men they can relate to and share confidences with.
As the executive director of the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, Angelia Perry has seen children blossom through education thanks to the GYAC after-school program. But there was a piece missing, so in 2014 they started a pilot mentorship program called Boys 2 Men 2 Greatness, funded by a $50,000 grant from the Indian River Community Foundation. B2M2G program director Aundrea Perry is also the community liaison for Gifford Front Porch.
The program provides one-on-one relationships, pairing black teenage boys with black male mentors to provide guidance and keep them on the right track. To validate the critical need for the program, they compiled statistics about issues such as dropout rates, criminal activities, time outs and school suspensions. Their timing was spot on. President Obama’s initiative, My Brother’s Keeper, targeting the same population of students, was announced shortly after the Community Foundation awarded their grant.
“On a national level, he’s looking to address some of the same issues we’re trying to address here on a local level,” says Angelia Perry. “We know we could get 100 boys who would fit the profile, but it dilutes the quality if I don’t have 100 men or I’m trying to pair 100 boys up with 20 men. We’re trying to have a more intensive program; to make an impact.”
There are currently 20 boys in the program and GYAC hopes to add more as additional mentors become available. The target demographic is vulnerable black boys in middle and high school, ages 12 to 18, in need of strong male role models. The mentors are pillars of the community and run the full gamut of professions, including doctors, law enforcement, ministers, educators, coaches, business professionals and retirees.
“We want mentors who are truly mentoring,” says Angelia Perry. “It’s not enough to get on the books as a mentor. We track their contact with each other. I’m always a proponent of quality over quantity.”
It’s why she approached Larry Staley, a mentor since the program’s inception who grew up in Gifford and knows its struggles. Returning after college, Staley coached high school for 27 years – 17 at Vero Beach and 10 at Sebastian – and has been a Recreation Department leader for 22 years, including 12 years in his current position as facilities manager of Gifford Aquatic Center and Gifford Park.
“We do things with them; take part in their lives, rather than just standing over them,” says Staley. “The best part for me is just to see how they’re changing their lifestyle. They’re kids, they come in, they smile, and they respect you. They look at you at not just as a disciplinarian; they look at you as a buddy, a friend, somebody they can talk with.”
Mentors and mentees communicate at least weekly, via phone, electronically or in person, and they all meet as a group for Saturday Summit Sessions, which include educational activities, guest speakers and even daytrips.
“The first year it was 99 percent educational. This year we’re trying to change it up so that the kids themselves have more time to bond and get to know each other,” says Aundrea Perry, explaining that since they’re enrolled in schools countywide, some weren’t previously acquainted.
Workshops have focused on test taking, study habits, dress for success, civic engagement, etiquette and other topics.
A local principal facilitated a “Your Vote Matters” workshop and members of the Sheriff’s Office and the NAACP conducted “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “Ten Ways to Engage with the Police” workshops. There have also been anger management workshops. “Several!” the sisters joked in unison.
Staff and parents are kept out of the round-table discussions with a local mental health practitioner. “He is an African American man as well,” explains Aundrea Perry. “They are just able to be free to speak about any topic without having us know what that topic is. They go in, and have to agree to it, knowing that whatever is said in that room will be left in that room. That’s a private session.”
There have been study sessions at Indian River State College to familiarize the teens with the process, a campus tour of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and, that same day, a visit to the African American Research and Cultural Center in Ft. Lauderdale.
Part of the program includes monthly stipends for the boys based on such criteria as their grades, behavior, apparel, interactions with mentors and their attentiveness at the Saturday Summits. They initially thought the stipend would be the carrot to get teens to the sessions, but learned early on that it was the parents who made sure they participated.
“Most of our accolades and praise comes from the parents,” says Aundrea Perry. “They knew their children needed something; they just didn’t know how they could provide it to them. The parents are the enforcers behind the program; getting them here on time and making sure they’re in the right frame of mind.”
The sisters have high praise for the Community Foundation for believing in their vision. Additional donors have since stepped forward, but more are needed to keep it afloat and help it expand.
“What I’d like most for people to know is that the Gifford community recognizes and is trying to be proactive in terms of serving this population because we see what’s going on,” stresses Angelia Perry. “We are trying to be proactive to reduce the possibility that these boys will not graduate from high school, will end up in the juvenile justice or penal system, or will get involved in some activity that will cause irreparable damage long-term. We’re trying to put in front of them mentors who can be role models for them, a positive influence in their lives, provide encouragement.
“If we had young men, mature young men, coming back into the community and mentoring these young men and girls, our world wouldn’t be as bad as it is now,” says Staley.
“All it takes is one. We have to grab hold of these kids and change their lifestyle.Right now there’s nothing motivating these kids to be better and do better. All they see is violence all over the world. I commend GYAC for what they’re doing. Job well done.”
