REAFFIRMING YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES - MENTORING AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BY FRATERNITIES AND OTHER GROUPS

Myriad problems beset the African American community, particularly our youth. The high school dropout rate is unacceptably high, as is teena ge pregnancy. The AIDS epidemic ravages our community, disproportionat ely afflicting our children, and homicide appears to be an everyday oc currence for many of our youth. Far too many of our young men have eas y access to drugs and weapons, making violence a way of life for many. The research literature suggests that when youth are engaged in meani ngful activities with caring adults, they can and do succeed. This stu dy assesses several mentoring programs-mentors and mentees-to obtain t heir perceptions of the effectiveness of their involvement. Both mento rs and mentees report that their participation has been valuable.