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ACHIEVEMENT: Croydon Black Boys Can have mentored black boys to academic success

THERE IS no doubt that a good education can open up the door to future opportunities, as well as equipping young people with life skills and self-esteem. But worryingly, the underachievement of black pupils, in particular black boys, remains an issue.

There is widespread concern about statistics which show that black pupils are not achieving as much as their white counterparts at GCSE level. They are also three times more likely to be excluded.

Croydon Black Boys Can (CBBC) is a voluntary community project which provides a direct response to these issues, aiming to have a positive impact on the lives of young black men.

Key to achieving this goal are the programmes that CBBC run, which focus on developing positive peer influence through interactive group work, raising academic performance and one-to-one mentoring. Built into the process and content of our work is a pro-education mind-set and other strategies to deter the boys away from anti-social behaviour and involvement in gangs, gun and knife crime.

Empowerment

Over the past six years, CBBC has delivered several boys’ empowerment programmes such as Going for Gold, which encourages the boys we work with to use their gifts and talents in positive ways. The programme reinforces the point that education and career pursuits can be achieved with a disciplined and focused approach.

A six-week pilot empowerment programme, working with Year 10 and Year 11 boys in a local school, made a remarkable impact on the boys’ attitudes and gave them the self-belief that it is possible to achieve educational goals if they are willing to work hard.

We also recognise that parents play a major part in the lives of their sons, so we provide empowerment workshops for parents. These workshops provide valuable information, networking and problem solving opportunities, and most importantly help to build a strong sense of community and identity around our children.

When we held these workshops last year parents felt that they and their sons would benefit from a joint workshop. We were able to respond to their request. The parents and the boys said they found the time they spent together invaluable, and in a safe environment where the boys felt supported and listened to they initiated a spontaneous talent show, displaying confidence as they entertained their audience of parents and volunteers.

It is also important that the boys can identify with our mentors. We found that mentors, prominent men in their community, could share how they overcame similar struggles to those faced by the boys and went on to become successful in their fields. This approach has proved very effective. Some boys made a commitment to take extra lessons in maths and English to maximise their opportunity to achieve grades A to C in their GCSEs, which was a significant step forward from where we started.

CBBC, which is part of the National Black Boys Can Association was created by Croydon’s Church of God of Prophecy in 2006. It was driven by a desire to see the local church become actively involved within the local community. Volunteers got involved in launching it and Pastor Paul Rochester was appointed as chair.

CBBC continues to reach out to the community, working in partnership with local schools and organisations. We have recently been awarded government funding and will now be working with local schools in Croydon.

It will provide a great opportunity to make a long-term investment and a lasting difference in the lives of our young people, which is what we are all about.

If you would like further information about the work of Croydon Black Boys Can, visit: www.croydonblackboyscan.org. You can also contact them at: admin@croydonblackboyscan.org