LA NECESIDAD DE REDEFINIR LA DEMOCRACIA Y EL CONCEPTO DE CIUDADANÍA

programs that would provide additional assistance in school and assistance in the development of black male youth. In the above, the lead mentors shared each program’s view about what they provide to the youth. In this section, we will examine what former participants in each of these programs said about their mentoring experience in one of the Black male fraternity mentoring programs. Past members of the organization participated in a series of focus group interviews to discuss their experiences as members of these organizations.

4.5.2 Chi Omega Lambda College Access

Recent graduates of the organization spoke about their experiences while participating in the mentoring program while in high school. Many of the participants discussed their

experiences in the organization- one in particular being college access. Student One stated “as whole in Chi Omega Lambda as a group outside of school I believe that each of us has done it, but within the group, no, we have not talked about college access.” Student Two elaborated:,

I was able to find them in terms of my student services, through my college advisor, my counselor, and my parents. And also, various clubs and organizations I’m in outside of school.

Student Three agreed: “Yeah. Just like Student Two said, it’s more the outside of school. I would get that type of assistance. Instead of from the organization. “

Student Five felt a little different. He exclaimed, “I got more from guidance and my guidance counselor about college access and about college readiness, and being prepared for what comes after college.”

Student Four felt this may not have been a reasonable expectation for the program:

I don’t think its sole purpose was to help us with our college. Even though that is a big part of us, like going to college or finding out what your goals are going forward. Student Six took a broader view concerning the program, and other programs here at the school,

They’re more hands on. Like one organization, during the whole process of the

organization they find out what they want to do after school. And others go on trips and visit colleges and we really don’t do any of that interaction with our mentors about college or post schooling.

Student Seven added his opinion about their mentors’ exposure to college access.

I totally with a few of my brothers [here]. In fact,[I have] friends in two other male organizations that exist at the school. And I see that they do mentor their kids and it

prepared them for college. Not only college but they focus on the options they had after their four years after high school and what they’re able to do. And I’m able to see that through having personal relationships with the kids that are in those organizations. Student Eight said he has a great relationship with the mentors.

For me, personally, I know I worked a lot with my mentor in terms of him giving me advice and whatever was needed individually in terms of college access. And he put me in touch with the right people and constantly was on top of me about grades. I remember one situation was I was taking Chinese One, the course. And pretty much I think it was a third period course and I was like playing around a lot in the class. And she ]the teacher] knew who my mentor was and how much he helped me out and how much I looked up to him. So she sent him an email and he really was the one that kind of sat me down, talked to me, told me what I should do, what I should not do, and as a man I needed to take on the responsibility for my future.

Student Two responded that student Eight’s interaction with the mentor he was referring to was because he was being recruited for a football scholarship. Student Nine’s experience was

different than that many of the other mentees.

I didn’t get hands on exposure from the organization. I actually go to the school [academic program] that's nontraditional. It gave me the opportunity to go … the local community college and I took classes there. This opportunity prepared me for college access understanding what pre requisites were, how to transfer class/credits to other school, and how to understand which college was best for me to apply to. That’s what really helped me, man--to be honest.

Community Service is one of the foundations of the Chi Omega Lambda’s program. Many of the young men had strong feelings about their efforts in the community that surrounds their school. Student One expressed how the organization works to better the elderly in the community:

We’ve done many different community services through our school. We’ve done sock drives for homeless people. We’ve hosted parties as fundraisers to buy food for the elderly.

Student Two added, “we always have campus cleanups around our high school.” Student Five added to student Two’s response “my aunt always enjoyed seeing us coming and cleaning up by her house and [we] did her neighbors.”

Student six reminisced about a toy drive for elementary aged kids the program hosted during his sophomore year. Student One also added that the work they did at the local Urban Ministries was life changing: “Seeing people be so thankful for small bowls of soup was life changing.” Student Three stated “we learned so much that day about helping our community I wrote about it in my AP lit class that year.”

Two mentees described a community service project the organization did in conjunction with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. This community service project was a mobile market designed to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to less fortunate families. They explained, “we took for granted that everyone had access to these items not understanding fresh fruits and vegetables are very expensive and most families around the school can’t afford them.”

Lastly the members of the Chi Omega Lambda organization don’t just focus on their community they attempt to reach out beyond the walls of their personal community. Many of these mentees collected bottles of water to send to Flint Michigan during the water crises. Student Two

exclaimed, “These moments helping my community urged me to help the community surrounding my college today.”

Masculinity

Being a Black male fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity has a major stake in altering and expanding these mentees understanding of masculine behaviors. Many of the mentees expressed that the mentors showed them positive examples of what it takes to become a true man, leader, and servant as you mature. Student One relived his sophomore year before joining the mentoring program. He stated:

I was a solid student but I was hanging with the wrong crowd. I was definitely not a leader. I was being a follower.

Student Three exclaimed:

I was too, we were in the same class but my grades were horrible not like Student One. Joining Chi Omega Lambda helped me change. The mentors were already in college and they made me feel like I needed to become like them.

Student Five added his take on how his behaviors changed after becoming a member of the organization:

I entered this organization my junior year of high school. It's helped me change

tremendously. My first two years of high school wasn't always the greatest, but towards the end I kind of started elevating, going up a little bit more, just looking at thing differently, academic-wise.

Many of the members grew academically and had positive shifts in their behaviors towards school after joining Chi Omega Lambda. For a few members of the organization a major shift in their understanding of masculinity changed when an openly gay student submitted an

application. For many of these young men this was the defining moment of understating what shaped their definition of masculinity. The lead mentor expressed the current members that the organization allows all individual to join the organization if they meet the qualifications regardless of their sexual orientation. Also, the lead mentor had mentors speak to the mentees about self-growth in new environments. These techniques led members to be more open minded about understanding change growth as man. Student one described his feeling after the

conversation with his mentors as life changing:

I could say before that meeting and conversation we were never going to have a member of ours be gay, if you can say it. So that was like it, nobody wanted it.

Student five added:

We could talk about it but everybody be like nah, that’s not going to happen. But after meeting with our advisor, and mentors, he [the lead mentor] came to me and my other friend, Student One, we talked about it and he was like why not?

Student Four felt that allowing an openly gay member into the organization would change Chi Omega Lambda’s perception in the school:

We were mostly athletes and people would start to think we were gay….I was wrong. The mentors urged us to embrace him as a member and treat him like a brother because that was he will be a brother to all of us.

Student Eight responded with a difference of opinion from that his fellow members. His

perspective shows the salience of this issue for the fraternity. The stance taken on potential gay members challenged some mentees views of appropriate masculinity:

Once I found out he was on line I personally stepped away from Chi Omega Lambda. I’m not a big fan of gay people or whatever you want to call them. I honestly hate them. So I don’t know why but I just can’t be around them. So I just stepped away and let my other members handle what they needed to handle.

Many of the members hated to see Student Eight not participate but he was firm on his decision not to participate in the organization after accepting a gay member into Chi Omega Lambda. Student Five urged Student Eight to use a technique they had been taught by one of their mentors, to look past the surface an individual for whole growth. Student Two added that “: we respected his decision to leave the organization but we had been taught many techniques on growing as men.” Many of the members expressed how the experiences in Chi Omega Lambda have helped them overcome adversities while they have been in college, some of them having to do with masculinity. For example, one student credited the program for helping him navigate ‘coming out’.

4.5.3 Kappa Leadership College access

The Kappa Leadership program is based upon five phases which are the foundations of the program. One of the five is preparing these young men for college. Many of the members expressed how the organization helped them with college access. Student One described how he participated in a common application and financial aid night: “We hosted and participated in this event not only to benefit ourselves but the other students who need help in applying to college.” Student Two agreed that this night was very vital in him “…getting the assistance from mentors to complete the application to my dream school.”

Student Three expressed how the organization exposed them to a professional day on a local college campus:

We got the opportunity to speak with multiple physicians about what they do daily and the amount of education needed to become a physician or physician assistant. This education opportunity was extremely eye opening because I had no clue what a physician assistant did on a daily basis and it gave us different career paths that you could take in the medical field.

Student four added:

Not only did it open our eyes. It help one of my brothers learn about careers that don’t require college degrees because not all of us are going to college.

Although Kappa Leadership is a school based mentoring program that requires you have passing grades in all your courses to participate in activities hosted by the organization, the mentees felt like this rule prepared them for college, and many felt like it taught them how to balance

academics and extracurricular activities: “Our [lead mentor] provided us with multiple resources to be college ready.” Student Five recalls being a full time International Baccalaureate (IB) student and needing a tutor. He then found out that the lead mentor provided tutoring for the mentees who needed for preparation for the IB final exams: “He also did transcript analysis with us to see if we met qualifications for the school we planned on applying to.” Student Five

expressed that many of the activities that he has participated in has tremendously helped him in college on many occasions.

Community service

The Kappa Leadership organization has had a major impact on the local community and the elementary school that many of the mentees attended. One service outreach activity that the mentees enjoyed is going to the elementary school and reading to the younger students. This

service brings back memories for many of the mentees and seeing their former teachers was refreshing as well. Student five observed:

I learned so much from going to spend time with the fifth graders. I tried to encourage them to do homework and to ask for help when they need it.

Student Three added, “I needed something like this when I was in elementary school because we never had anyone to look up too, or had positive young men to come spend time with you to help you grow.” Many of the mentees were praised for this interaction their by former teacher and it really made them want to return on a consistent basis.

Kappa Leadership also hosted a professional day for students and other mentoring organizations to participate. This community outreach day was designed to expose students to professions that they may want to peruse after graduation. One student expressed: “after that day I knew more about post graduate schools and what is required to become a medical doctor.” The organization does a clothing drive every year before winter, this project is designed to allow families to obtain winter gloves, coats, and pants. The mentees all agree that of all the community outreach occasions this one really hits home. Student One spoke about his first clothing drive: “it was so many families who needed these items, and I was so not aware so many young kid had no coat until that day.”

The group also expressed the emphasis they place on helping their peers apply for

college. Student four described a common application night the organization hosted while he was a senior: “Knowing that many parents struggle getting information for us, we hosted a night where parents could come and complete FAFSA as well as look over our common application as we complete them.” This outreach activity was open to all seniors and parents that needed the help.

Lastly, Kappa Leadership hosted an annual health fair to educate seniors on maintain a healthy lifestyle as they transition into the real world. Student one explained how it helped him: “Being an athlete, the practices helped me stay away from much of the bad food when I got to college.”

Masculinity

The Kappa Leadership mentees have a multilayered view of masculinity and how it has been addressed in their organization: “It’s funny that we are discussing masculinity because we all have [all these] different meanings that the organization and mentors showed us over the years”, Student Two stated. Student Three added, “I mean leadership is what it [masculinity] used to mean to me until my senior year and then I learned that it’s how you lead, what examples you set as a leader, and the image people have of you after leadership [that counts].”

Many of the members hated dressing up one day a week, but the image it gave the teachers in building made them appreciate the effect of the transformation in attire. Student six learned after graduation that a student younger than him who attended his church looked up to him when he dressed up and that urged the young man to join the organization:

Our mentors stressed to us that leadership as a male comes with change and it definitely was true for me. I matured so much from junior year to senior year and my behavior change.

Many of the mentees expressed that being with groups and individuals that had negative agenda changed for them after becoming part of Kappa Leadership. Student Six expressed “that the organization taught them that there is an emotional aspect to masculinity.” This mentee was open about how his attitude was not the best when he joined the organization, but in working the lead mentor and other mentors he learned how to express himself in constructive ways. Student Six

also added “I passed those tools to a family member and I have to credit the men in this organization for my success.” Student One concluded:

If I could combine college access and masculinity [themes] for a second-- the [Kappa Leadership] organization got us ready for college by instilling the qualities of a leader. We understand emotionally how to handle change. We accept rigor in academics as a building block of life, and image and delivery is what you will be measured on today as well as tomorrow.

4.5.4 Theta Phi Psi College access

Many of the past participants of Theta Phi Psi expressed that becoming a part of the mentoring program exposed them to what college was and what steps needed to be taken to become college ready. Student One stated”

For me, the tutoring in my IB classes really helped me along the way. It held me accountable to keep striving to do better.

The peer tutoring was two days a week on Thursday and Thursday. It was designed for students to assist each other with completing projects, assignments, and to improve overall academic standing. Student Three recalled: