It’s Very Important for Young Black Males to Have Positive Male Mentors

Around the age of ten years old, once Black males enter fourth and fifth grades – they seem to lose focus in school and are being taught to be “men” and “grow up,” in a negative manner. This is when negative influences such as some TV programs, music, and other negative surroundings start to take over.

According to author Phillip Atiba Goff, Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, “Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics such as innocence and the need for protection. Our research found that black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when white boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.” This can be prevalent as Black boys start experiencing declines in school performance and self-esteem, especially in some cases before they even reach middle school.

This is why it’s very imperative that young Black boys need positive male role models, especially in the Black community because it can help raise their confidence in school, social, athletics, and all other types of life so they could be much better equipped in life as they advance in age. Another thing is that having a positive Black male mentor can help them have aspirations beyond being an entertainer or an athlete. They can be put in camps such as art, auto, math, science, and various other fields to help them gain various skills.

In Baltimore, MD, there’s a mentoring program called, “The Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood,” which has been in existence since 1996. It initially started with five boys, and it has experienced an increase of 3,000 boys coming through the program. Their objective is to prevent the youth from falling into negative surroundings that plague the Black community. The program has rewarded students with cash gifts when they perform well in core classes, along with going on various trips to help the teens to become well-rounded. After each session, they provide lunch for different individuals. They also encourage parents who sign the boys up to pay their dues consistently.

Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood taking a College Tour to Duke University, NCCU in Durham, NC

Another thing is that being paired with a positive male influence is that it can show them that it’s never too early to learn entrepreneurship and other legal ways to make money. A male mentor should take the child job-shadowing to their place of employment to see what it’s like to have a job and the business of how companies run. When young Black boys are paired with males that look like them, it encourages them to do more and want to do better for themselves.

When young Black boys are surrounded by Black men, it helps with their confidence, critical thinking, and their maturity. It’s very important for them to have that experience, so they can have the tools necessary to become a productive citizen.