The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

November 11, 2009

Program seeks to strengthen male role

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

PRINCEVILLE — More men are being educated, employed and establishing stronger relationships with their family due to a new program being offered by the Family Resource Center in Princeville.

Men ‘N’ Motion began last year as an extension of the center’s Parent as Teachers program that focuses on building strong family relationships during children’s younger years with both parental units.

Men ‘N’ Motion has a special focus on the male responsibilities in helping support the family, and prevention of the absence of a father in the home.

“We saw a need to pull the men in so they can be the best they can be, which will in turn help their families, which will in turn help our community,” said Annette Walker of the Family Resource Center.

The Parents as Teachers program has been in existence since the late 1990s, but this component of the program began last year.

Participants are sought through referrals from the community, the Department of Social Services, the court system, visits to Tarboro Community Outreach or walk-ins from word-of-mouth or flyers.

Since the program was initiated, 72 members have joined; 16 males have been employed; eight are working towards earning their GED, and 10 have found housing, received a driver’s license and or exited the court system.

Part of the impact the program has made thus far is due to the program’s first male educator, Clayton Phillips. Phillips is a native of the Battleboro area, and has worked with the school system as a mentor, substitute teacher and in the exceptional children program, as well as starting programs with similar goals of empowering males.

“This was right down my alley,” Phillips said about his position with Men ‘N’ Motion.

Some of the services the program offers are home visits, mentoring, and a support group to address concerns and find solutions for the problems the males may face. The group meets on a monthly basis.

The program has a focus on employment with an emphasis placed on equipping the participant with skills for having a good interview, how to deal with rejection for a position, how to seek employment and other factors.

“It walks them through to resources of gaining education or finding a job,” Walker said.

“This program just isn’t focused on getting them a job, it focuses on keeping a job,” Phillips said.

“We feel strongly that getting a man a job won’t help much if it just folds in the next month or two.”

The main groups the program has served so far is males from late teens to mid 30s, with about 95 percent of them being black males.

The program is seeking more male mentors to come in, and provide a positive outlook to the participants.

“If we can offer a man everything he needs to feel good about himself, his family can feed off of that,” Phillips said.

The program has established a partnership with multiple business and organizations including Edgecombe Community College, Carlisle Plastic, Express Temporary Services, Freedom Hill Community Health Center, Holden Temporaries Inc., K-Mart, Manpower, Perdue, Popeye’s, Randstand, Sara Lee and Tanner Nut Co.

The program is funded by Down East Partnership for Children and Edgecombe County Public Schools.

For more information call, Phillips at 823-2819 or e-mail him at cphillips@ecps.us

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