Advice from someone who has been there
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on October 27, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Victor Young II, a member of Men Who Care Global, talks to a Dillard Middle School fifth-grader during a recent session at the school. Men Who Care Global is a nonprofit group that pairs young black males with mentors who are willing to commit to being a part of a child's life from middle school through high school.
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Rashad Hinnant, an intervention specialist at Dillard Middle School, explains the purpose behind the Men Who Care Global nonprofit group to fifth-graders during a recent meeting at the school.
Octavius Murphy does not blend in.
He towers above the Dillard Middle School students as they pour into the hallway for a class change.
His bright neon orange T-shirt sets him apart further. He graduated middle school a long time ago.
He walks into a room of other grown men, identically dressed in orange shirts and folds himself into a small chair.
A group of fifth-grade boys files in. They sit down.
The boys glance around at the grown men around them; men with careers, lives and families. What are they doing here?
Murphy and the other men are from Men Who Care Global, a nonprofit group pairing young black males with mentors.
"You guys are smart, you really are, and we're here to help you realize how smart you are," volunteer Marvin McCoy says. The assistant superintendent of human resources serves as a liaison between MWCG and the schools and as a mentor.
Rashad Hinnant, an intervention specialist from Dillard Middle School, said that a lot of children thrive with one-on-one time. MWCG aims to provide continuous relationships with the teacher-nominated students.
"What is a mentor?" Hinnant asks the boys.
Hinnant explained that even as an adult, there were people in his life to whom he turned when he needed help, someone to listen or some advice.
"We're not saying you're bad or in trouble," Hinnant said to the boys. "We're here to help because you have potential."
The men will be around the school as frequently as possible, serving as mentors to the selected boys.
Murphy, president of the board, was involved in the Charlotte division of MWCG. When his job transferred him to Goldsboro, he saw a need.
"I had this bright idea that if we could do it in Charlotte, we could do it in Goldsboro," he said.
Murphy reached out to local community leaders to begin forming the core group of MWCG. The group worked to set an organizational structure in place.
"We've crossed fraternity lines, political lines, church lines. There is no stuff in there that separates us," Murphy said.
The organization has been recruiting and raising awareness.
Murphy hopes for at least 200 active members. The members will strive to create relationships with the youths and show up for them. This includes actions as simple as being there at a basketball game to cheer on their mentee.
MWCG recruits men who are willing to commit to being a part of a child's life from middle school through high school.
"Consistency is a very big thing, that you will be there," Hinnant said.
A large number of boys aren't graduating from high school. Murphy believes this is because of a lack of a father figure in their life. If MWCG succeeds in its mission, the boys will receive a surrogate father to help mold them into men.
Hinnant believes MWCG is an important effort to get men into education, where early male role models are often lacking.
"Prayerfully if we do what we need to do as men, we'll impact that," Murphy said. "These children will make better decisions than they have in the past simply because they have that knowledge."
Murphy admits that the mentors aren't perfect themselves. "We're men; we're going to make mistakes," he laughed. But he believes that through the program, the men will be encouraged to be better husbands, fathers and workers.
"It's important to me that the community receives this as a resource for the community as well," he said. "Just because we are African American men doesn't mean this is just an African American issue."