FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday August 29, 2013
Contacts:
Joseph George, S.O.S. Executive Director
Charles
Shelton, Executive Secretary
314.879.6398
Save Our Sons, C.O.R.E. and Solutions to Urban Development Use Basketball and Business As a Tool to Curb St. Louis Violence and a Path Out of Negative Lifestyles
Basketball
and Business is the hook to break down barriers and open up the lines of
communication that will decrease violence in the City of St. Louis. Our young people have so much potential. We need their leadership and we need their
skills. We need to help them dust off
their dreams, and ignite the imaginations of our young people by getting them
started down the road of productive business activities.
Our
mission is to prevent young men from being involved in the judicial system and to
solidify the importance of education and its empowering value for the family
structure. We encourage mentoring,
fathers staying involved with their children and positive parenting. Our goal is
to reach out to the brothers on the street and let them know that we are here
for them and want to help them. We understand that there is a lot of
frustration in the streets. We try to understand it as much as we can, even
though we are not living it. It’s okay
to be frustrated, but you have to figure out how to channel that energy in the
right direction.
Today’s
criminal system has been compared to modern day slavery with the lack of
educational resources, counseling (education and substance abuse) and
vocational education to help youth get back on the right path in society. Judge
Mathis, a noted community activist and national speaker on prison systems, has
stated many times his criticisms, “The prison system is designed for the
failure of Black men, not to help them re-enter society with marketable
skills.” Judge Mathis has pointed out
that Black men are 60% of the prison population, the results of bad schools,
diminishing mental health resources, lack of fatherly involvement and no
employment opportunities which often result in African American men being in
prison.
The
importance of our young men understanding that, if they are not personally
accountable and have low expectations for their success socially and
educationally, there is a criminal justice system that can and will incarcerate
them is crucial. Research shows that
young men who do not have an outlet for their entrepreneurial “mindset” tend to
become involved in “criminal activities.”
Save
Our Sons, C.O.R.E. and Solutions to Urban Development have collaborated to
combat the epidemic of violence in the city of St. Louis by providing our young
men productive business activity and developing a network of youth who are
creating products and services of value thereby producing jobs.The value of
education, the importance of self- respect, the priority of valuing life and
living must continuously be taught to our young men.
Save Our Sons, C.O.R.E. and Solutions to
Urban Development will begin offering team members mentoring with business
owners and a comprehensive plan to start and grow a business, using business
ownership as a platform to teach youth Reading, Mathematics and Critical Thinking
skills. We will also offer team members who enroll resume writing skills, job
placement, enrollment in GED classes, internships working at retail stores,
restaurants, and etc.Youth from St. Louis and Illinois, teachers, mentors,
parents, guardians, Churches, Not-for-Profits and other Organizations are invited
to participate in our upcoming Summit on Saturday September 28th, most
importantly, we hope that every young man that attends will bring another young
man with them.
It is easier said than done, but the
priority is here and now. Each of these elements and more will be discussed in detail
on an upcoming Conference Call. We look
forward to involvement from Community Organizations such as: 100 Black Men,
Churches, Fraternities, Law Enforcement and other community groups as well
asparents, teachers and mentors on the Conference Call as we join forces to
combat violence among our young men in the City of St. Louis.
Learn how you or your Organization can
participate by joining the
Solutions to Urban Development Conference
Call on:
Saturday September 14th at 12 Noon
Call In: 1.559.726.1300Participant Code:
636868
