Popular nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden has donated $10,000 to support Mentoring Brothers in Action, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ collaborative enterprise with the three largest historically black fraternities to change the odds for African American boys.

Baisden made the contribution before keynoting the Mentoring Brothers in Action summit in Atlanta, hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters and its fraternity partners – Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi.  The summit brought fraternity leaders and mentoring and youth services professionals together with community and education experts to identify the most effective ways to recruit African American male mentors.

Children ready and waiting for mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies are disproportionately African American boys.  But only about 15 percent of the organization’s male mentors are African American.

Big Brothers Big Sisters presented Baisden with the “Mentoring Brothers in Action Michael Baisden Inspiration Award.”  The award will become an annual honor given to an individual who demonstrates the kind of consistent generosity and dedication to the Mentoring Brothers in Action mission, as exemplified by Baisden.

As a result of the summit, Mentoring Brothers in Action leaders will implement a 2012 strategic plan that includes, but is not limited to:

• A national template for fraternity-led barbershop recruiting drives
• A mentoring pilot program that matches fraternity member mentors with boys who are ready to be matched, simultaneously enrolling them in fraternity college prep enrichment group activities
• Establishing a national African American male mentor affinity model with local chapters linked to Big Brothers Big Sisters local agencies
• Establishing culturally relevant mentor recruitment opportunities that appeal to younger male prospective volunteers
• Produce a PSA challenging African American men to invest in Big Brothers Big Sisters as a volunteer or donor
• Hold Mentoring Brothers in Action partners accountable for engaging men in the partnership website – www.MentoringBrothers.org – with creative outreach, such as multi-topic webcasts that attract African American community-minded men

The summit came on the heels of the announcement of the Big Brothers Big Sisters 2011 Youth Outcomes Survey Report, which shows statistically significant improvements for youth throughout the first year of enrollment.  The improvements are in three outcome areas – educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors and socio-emotional competency.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/youthradio/

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