“Becoming a Man”

[sheshe2]

In meetings with young black men, Obama tries to leave a mark

Then Obama was asked to tell his story: How did a black man become president? He talked about his anger as a young man growing up without a father in the picture. When he was a teen in high school, he partied too much, ignored school too much. He confided that he drank and smoked pot.

Daniels struggled to grasp what the president was saying. That could not be the life of the man who became a president, Daniels thought. He half-raised his hand, and asked, “Are you talking about you?”

snip/

Obama has recounted his meetings with the young men as among the most raw encounters of his tenure. Now, as he uses his second term to address race and the fortunes of urban youth more directly, the president’s experience with the young men, and their experience with him, offer an intimate look at the promise and limitations of his presidency.

snip/

“What I explained to them was I had issues, too, when I was their age. I just had an environment that was a little more forgiving,” he said. “So when I screwed up, the consequences weren’t as high as when kids on the South Side screw up. So I had more of a safety net. But these guys are no different than me, and we had that conversation about what does it take to change.”

From the comments.

elijah405
2/9/2014 5:00 PM EST

Great article and I applaud Pres. Obama for attempting to do something, to make a personal connection with young men who look like him. Now before the trolls attack this article, let's take a moment out to realize that these are kids born into situations that aren't of their doing. Perhaps if we took more time out to treat them as kids, they would and can be more successful.

And for those trolls who are about to start with the whole "personal responsibility' thing as being a way to get out of their situations; let's not be ignorant here and act as if racism doesn't still exist today and that hard work and personal responsibility are the true and sole determinants of individual outcomes. That would simply not be a fair or a precise way of viewing the issues these young men face. And if you don't believe racism still exists, read some of the comments left on some of these boards.

Needless, to say-well done Mr. President, maybe we all can take some time out to talk with young people and more importantly, listen to them and what they feel. If we all did that instead of judging them, maybe we can help set them on a better path.

Trolls responding in 3,2,1...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/chicago-teens-stories-on-becoming-a-man-leave-a-mark-on-the-president/2014/02/09/8808c336-82b8-11e3-9dd4-e7278db80d86_story.html

B.A.M. – Becoming A Man



Evidence

A recent randomized controlled trial conducted by the University of Chicago Crime Lab showed that B.A.M. reduces violent crime arrests, weapons crime and increases school achievement:
Reduced violent crime arrests by 44%
Reduced weapons crime and vandalism by 36%
Reduced the likelihood of attending school in a juvenile justice setting by 53%
Increased future graduation rates by 10-23%

B.A.M. is grounded in research that shows a large share of homicides of Chicago youth stem from impulsive behavior – young people with access to guns “massively” over-reacting to some aspect of their social environment. This is consistent with a growing body of research showing that social-cognitive skills such as impulse control, future orientation, and conflict resolution are predictive of a wide range of key life outcomes such as school success and crime involvement. The $550 billion the US spends on K-12 schooling each year mostly focuses on academic skills. B.A.M. seeks to fill this need by developing key non-academic skills for at-risk male youth.

B.A.M. Curriculum Addresses Six Core Values

1. INTEGRITY – is the core principle of the program. Students learn that a man is someone who is reliable, honest and in touch with his integrity or lack thereof and that he makes amends when he is out of integrity and does what he says he is going to do.

2. ACCOUNTABILITY – Students learn that they should be responsible for the choices that they make and take ownership for their feelings, thoughts and behaviors. A man can feel anger, sadness or fear, but he must own his reactions to those emotions.

Read More:http://www.youth-guidance.org/our-programs/b-a-m-becoming-a-man/




********************This is Posted in the Barack Obama Group****************

[Aristus]

1. The trolls can kiss my ass. President Obama rocks!

And so does what he is doing to address the concerns and challenges of these young men.

George W. Bush was never more than what Shakespeare might have termed an "idol of idiot-worshippers".

[sheshe2]

3. Mine too! That troll part was part of the comment...and yes I included it.

This...

"an intimate look at the promise and limitations of his presidency."

His promise and limitations...you are right, he does what he can. You know something Aristus, he is going to knock our socks off once again when he leaves the White House. He is an amazing man, sadly he gets little credit from so many. His imprint is here and the change has started, I look forward to the future path he has started us on. It's long and steep, however we will get there.

As for Shakespeare, oh yeah he sure was right about GWB and his fawning crowd.

[steve2470]

2. President Obama is a great man

He shows he cares for these young men.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Posted to for later reading. eom.

[SunSeeker]

5. That speech had us in tears.

It inspired us to give to a youth organization.

[sheshe2]

7. I know SunSeeker...nt

[Cha]

6. Well Communicated, President Obama! Mahalo~

Thank you for this, she~

[sheshe2]

8. Aloha Cha~

[Whisp]

9. He believes this, and so should everyone:

[sheshe2]

10. Yes Whisp, so should everyone~