On Nov. 27, Delta College hosted an event held in the SCMA building, where local youth program My Brother’s Keeper held a group session for its members to discuss individual rights in society.
My Brother’s Keeper is a community-based program serving the youth of Stockton that aims to ensure boys and young men of color reach their full potential to challenge the ongoing structural, systemic inequities.
Program leader Rashard Stallworth said the program has a successful track record of members who avoid trouble.
“Our kids end up graduating high school. A lot of them that get in the program early also avoid juvenile hall and criminal lifestyles. Many go to college or a trade school and graduate. We’ve even had a couple that went to the military. We have some people that have been in the program since it started and some of them are working on Masters degrees now. A lot of people that were in the program now have their siblings in the program. We have gotten great feedback from families, and our success rate is really good,” Stallworth said.
With its launch in 2015, the MBK Stockton chapter was organized as part of a larger initiative by the Obama administration to expand mentorship and educational resources to make a positive impact on the youth.
Its demographic focuses on those 12-24 years of age, but they are also open to allowing the younger siblings of those interested in joining.
Working on a schedule that covers monthly topics, the group meets weekly, often conversing on various topics, such as vision, relationships, discipline, character, education, manhood, health, leadership, authority, faith, law, and culture.
The Mary Magdalene Community Services Office serves to teach the first three weeks of each month and teach members about the month’s theme.
Delta College hosts the last meeting of the month. It includes professionals such as city officials, probation officers, attorneys, college professors, and community leaders to discuss the topics.
“This month, the topic is culture and identity. Dr. Lonita Cordova and Edward Aguilar from Student Services are going to be on one of our panels as the key professionals to talk to the kids about what culture and identity are. On the month we discussed relationships we brought in a marriage/family therapist, social worker, and a former dean to discuss what is a relationship, friendship, expectations and trust. Each week we touch on different things and at the end of the month we bring it all together,” Stallworth said.
The panel featuring Cordova and Aguilar is scheduled for Dec 11.
The program will take members to local parks and amusement parks for recreational activity as a reward system.
Other forms of group activity include volunteer work at dining halls and trips to four-year schools.
Michael Martin, a first-year Delta student and MBK member, said his experience with the program has been positive as it has created a safe and welcoming environment among peers.
“I learn something new everyday. Just by going there, it honestly helps get that negativity off my mind. I met a lot of new people there too and now I’m friends with them. Everyone gives out positive energy and I like that about them,” Martin said.
Along with its community-based program, it has a separate program based in the county juvenile hall. The staff works with the young men there in hopes of preventing recidivism.
Prominent growth has also led to a sister counterpart with a program called My Sister’s Keeper that works with the same goals as MBK.
As staff overcome funding and facility space challenges, they also make sure to be available to the emotional needs of members and ensure all students are welcome with no distinction in race or ethnicity.
All updates can be found at www.marymagdalenecs.com/mbk
