Intensive Advocacy
White House commission summit at UMBC promotes academic success for at-risk youth, highlighting The Choice Program.
For college senior Imhotep Simba, helping youth find their own path to success comes down to three things: encouragement, exposure, and mentorship. Growing up in Baltimore’s Upton neighborhood, Simba says, he didn’t have a sense of possibility or opportunity, but The Choice Program at UMBC changed that.
Simba, who will graduate from Coppin State University in May, spoke from his perspective as an alumnus of The Choice Program to a standing-room-only crowd that filled UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery on February 25, 2015. He was one of several young people who shared a story of resilience and perseverance at “Supporting Academic Success of Youth in Juvenile Justice Settings.”
The summit was designed to raise awareness and enable discussion of resources and strategies to accelerate post-secondary success for youth enrolled in alternative and correctional education facilities. The event was organized by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, for which President Freeman Hrabowski serves as commission chair, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and UMBC.
Representatives from OCR, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), University of Maryland School of Social Work, and The Choice Program at UMBC shared insights and best practices on providing support and mentoring services for at-risk youth.
Central to the summit were the mission, values, and achievements of The Choice Program, which now serves more than 800 youth and families in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Prince George’s, and Montgomery Counties. For the last 25 years, The Choice Program has been the direct service arm of UMBC’s Shriver Center and a national model for supporting adjudicated youth.
“We’re honored to have this summit at UMBC,” said LaMar Davis, director of The Choice Program. “It takes a lot of conviction and fortitude for a university to take on such a big issue like this.”
AmeriCorps Community Service Fellows form the core of The Choice Program. The fellows work with youth ages 8–18 who are referred to the program through DJS. The fellows provide a community-based alternative to institutionalization that emphasizes caring relationships, meaningful participation, and setting high expectations.
“When someone looks at our kids, frequently they see someone who is struggling in school, has gotten into some kind of trouble, and who is not necessarily thriving,” said Davis. “What our fellows see is someone who has potential, has no ceiling, and who is really just looking for the right types of supports and structures that we can help channel them into.”
Abdul Brannum, a Choice Program alumnus and now a full-time college student working toward a degree in business management, admits he didn’t know what to expect when he became involved with Choice, but he credits his mentors’ sincerity and kindness for keeping him engaged.
“They were so full of life and laughter that it was contagious,” Brannum reflected at the event. “From that moment, I realized it was cool to be myself. I wanted to experience the same passion which they felt and shared with me.”
Through its intensive advocacy program, 92 percent of participating DJS youth have completed the program and have not been adjudicated with new charges. Eighty-eight percent of youth who have participated in The Choice education program have reduced or maintained the number of suspensions from the previous school year, and more than 100 youth have secured employment.
These metrics are certainly powerful results, but they stem from a basic idea, made a reality through the collaborative work of hundreds, from Choice Program leaders and fellows, to partner agencies, to the youth themselves.
“Start by believing in young people’s ability to transform their lives,” LaMar Davis told the UMBC crowd, “and then just support them.”
Media coverage: Read “White House-sponsored event at UMBC probes help for students in juvenile justice system” in the Baltimore Sun and watch the CNS video “Wise choices: UMBC’s Choice Program is helping teens get back on track.”
(02/27/2015)
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