Mentoring Program Focuses on Role Models for Boys

Rodzae James, 11, knows his neighborhood is rough, but he feels lucky to have a couple of good role models. “I look up to my brother because he was the first boy on my block to go to college,” he said.

Rodzae also admires his mentor, Justen Boyd, a family advocate at Family Focus Lawndale, who specializes in education and restorative justice, an approach to discipline emphasizing collective ways of solving behavioral problems.

Instead of bolting out of Goldblatt Elementary School in the North Lawndale neighborhood when the bell rings at 1:45 p.m. on Fridays, Rodzae and four other fifth-grade boys head to the library to see Mr. Boyd. For some of the boys, he is the primary male figure in their lives.

“Justen is like a big brother to me,” said Geraod Taylor, 12, who said his father had been in and out of jail.

The fact that Mr. Boyd played college basketball, will banter about the Bulls and plays ball with him in the gym is definitely a bonus, Geraod said.

At Goldblatt Elementary, 100 percent of the students fit the Chicago Public School standard for low income. Mr. Boyd, 24, also works with two other elementary schools in the area.

The mentoring groups are set up by the schools and Family Focus, a nonprofit community support program intended to strengthen families and help children. The free service, which began in 1976, works with children to help them overcome obstacles like poverty, violence and gangs. Family Focus operates seven family support centers throughout the Chicago area and says it serves about 14,000 people each year.

Research shows that mentoring can improve a student’s academic ability and self-confidence. Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which conducts research on urban education, said mentoring is important, particularly for black boys, who are more likely to live in poverty and grow up without a father figure.

“In general, mentoring can be an enormously effective way of engaging kids and making sure there is an adult presence in their life,” Mr. Casserly said.

Last year, Mr. Casserly’s organization released an analysis of data from the nation’s 30 largest cities showing that black males lag on nearly every measure of educational success.

Geraod does not need research to know that the odds are against him.

“If you just sit on the corner all the time, you’re going to end up dead or in jail,” he said. “A black man’s life is the hardest life.”

Mr. Boyd, a graduate student at Aurora University, said reaching children like Geraod is as simple as being available and talking about things they might not talk about at home.

“A lot of them don’t have fathers at home,” he said, “so having me around gives them a positive male influence.”

Counselors at Goldblatt selected the boys in Mr. Boyd’s group at the beginning of the school year. Since the mentoring started, they have shown significant improvement. Four made the honor roll last term, and one, 11-year-old Marzell Wilson, received the Principal’s Scholar award for getting all A’s on his last report card, Mr. Boyd said.

On a recent Friday afternoon during the Chicago Bulls’ playoff run, Mr. Boyd and the students talked about the definition of success. Although several boys said they aspired to become the next Derrick Rose, they all talked about college and careers as well.

“Just talking about success makes us want to be successful,” said Everett Spraggs, 10.