TCB PROGRAMS
Study Hall 2 Ball
STUDY HALL 2 BALL reinforces the habits and skill sets that will help our youth realize concrete steps to
academic success. We aid young minds with the motto that to “STUDY” is to “BALL”. “Ball” in this respect does
not refer to sports but instead we are using a common vernacular for success. Just like in sports when a player is
said to be “Balling” this refers to the overall skill set that the player exhibits and the success those skills have
garnished said player. We’ve created a structured environment with the goals of teaching what we call “Learning
Skillz.” We have found key fundamental tools that will aid any child in becoming a better student. These “skillz”
will allow them to “Ball” in school, as well as in their personal lives and society.
Goals: Improved reading, comprehension and concentration techniques.
Solution: We begin by providing our students with a nutritional meal/snack when the student first arrives. This begins the transition into a more focused mental state. A hungry mind is proven to be an unfocused mind. During the meal/snack we have a conversation about how everyone’s day has been. We explore both good and bad things that have happened throughout the day. We use this time to listen more than speak as we realized the children have been taking direction all day and need some time to be heard.
The next step in our process is to enter into some breathing techniques. We do this as a transitional period to allow the student to accept that it is now time for our next activity. It also is our way of introducing the skill of self awareness. During breathing each student’s focus is on themselves. We encourage each student during this time to see the importance of who they are. Part of Study Hall 2 Ball is teaching self accountability, the first part of self accountability is to see yourself and look honestly at your actions.
We then enter into our Daily Reading time. During this time the student will read for any class that has an assignment that requires reading. If no class requires reading then we have material provided for the student to read. At the end of our reading time each student will articulate to the “Skillz Coach” what they’ve read.
We transition from reading into slotted homework time. We encourage the students to use peer to peer tutoring, a process that will strengthen communication skills as well as self-confidence. Positive reinforcement from peers as well as “Skillz Coaches” will help strengthen the resolve of our students to succeed.
When all school work has been completed and checked we enter into “Free Play.” Free Play is our time to unwind. After being told to be quiet most of the day this is the time when they get to be “KIDS”. Our Free Play allows us to show the students that there is a time and place for everything.
As with any type of learning, repetition is key. We have seen that repetition can seem monotonous to a child if the end goal is too far away to see. To create a seeable goal and to help encourage and develop these habits we use a game style point system. This system will have rewards that will not only help them to track the goals they set, but also give them a tangible product they can acquire upon reaching each goal: if I can see it I can believe it. This Reward System will help aid in the realization of real world applications to these new “Skillz.” Attendance will be a major part of the point system, repetition is key to having successful habits engrained into a child’s character. This atmosphere of peer to peer tutoring, aided focused study time, and goal accomplishment will ensure the students have the confidence to see themselves “Ball.” This confidence will enable them to project these newly acquired skills into the the school and community in which they live.
Our Village Mentorship Program
Our Village Mentorship Program brings young people and mentors together to share different group outings, discussions, and everyday life experiences. Environment plays an important role in the development of young minds and character. Our Village takes a group approach to interacting with young people in need. The youth enter our “village” and become a part of our group outings, group round tables, and group convo’s.
“We can not change every circumstance, but we can change some perspectives if we can show our children something different”.
Karl Haye ( Coach Haye )
Through group outings, our village creates a micro-community to help introduce our youth to new activities and experiences. This aspect of Our Village helps us to avoid alienating youths when they experience things for the first time. These activities foster a sense of community that allows our youth to build positive character traits together.
Goals: Improve the experiences of young lives in our community, prepare the positive mental outlook of youth, create a small village that becomes infectious in our community, provide an outlet for youth to reach out if they need help.
Solution: We begin with a personal aspect in “Our Village”. No one wants to feel like a number or like they’re part of a program.
“Children just need to know someone is there to love them”.
Thomas Barnes
We greet any new youth officially at one of our Dinner group sessions. This group session is like Sunday dinner at grandma’s house. We cook a large meal together and then enjoy conversation over our meal. This is done to encourage a healthy dialogue between mentors and youth. A lot of truth can be said in simple conversation, therefore we encourage a lot of simple conversations. We don’t dive into any deep conversations about drama or emotional pain unless the youth engages us(*). During Dinner group our mentors list any experiences the group will be having during the upcoming week. Once a youth has become acclimated with our mentors and the other group members, the youth can then join any of the outings or experiences. “Our Village” becomes a regular destination for youth to join in and feel like part of the family.
*A future aspect of our village is to create a round table group session on a regular basis with trained professionals.
Teen XMas
Teen X-mas allows our older youth to not feel forgotten during our end of the year festivities. Often times Christmas as well as other holidays are thought of as being for “little kids”. But ask yourselves “When do you stop being a kid”?
Interesting question, there are many different ways to answer.
Scientifically, at the point of puberty.
Legally, at the age of 18.
Socially, differs for boys and girls, between 13-16.
“Experience tells us sometimes we stay kids our whole lives”!
Karl Haye ( Coach Haye )
With a smile and a gift like shoes or an outfit we look to create moments of community that make a youth feel accepted and wanted. We also fill some of the needs they may have in the moment.
We’ve seen that the feeling of “someone wants me around” can change the attitude of a young person and what that person feels responsible to and for.
Goals: Create the opportunity for a teen to feel like a kid again, fill a need that the teen may have, foster the feeling of community and create an outlet for youth to reach out if they need help.
Solution: TCB Youth Mentoring starts with the teens in our programing. We identify any needs our children may have or know about in our community. Often times it is the youth that we interact with in all of our programing that become our pulse to the streets of our community. We look for the best approach to gifting to the teens. Sometimes the gifts come from us, we’ve also found that sometimes it helps more than just the teen if the gifts come from mom, dad, or guardian.
Black Santa
Black Santa is a Christmas giveaway for youth in unfortunate economic situations. TCB Youth Mentoring knows that images are important and we believe we need to put forth as many positive images as possible. As the name implies the gift giver in this program is a “Black Santa Clause”.
“These babies need to know and feel like help and love comes from people who look like them”.
Thomas Barnes
With this program we aim to help and meet youth in our community. It simply is what the title says, a Black Santa giving out gifts to the youth of our city.
Goals: Fill needs for children in our community, foster the feeling of community amongst children in our city, create an outlet for youth to reach out if they need help.
Solution: Toy drive, toy drive, toy drive. We find as many toys as we can get our hands on, through donations and the generosity of the community we service. While doing our toy drive we look for areas in and around our community that would benefit from Black Santa visiting. After we’ve taken an accounting of all we’ve gathered we identify the areas we can help. Then….. decorate, decorate, decorate, we prepare our vehicles and right before Christmas we visit the areas we’ve designated. We can’t sing as well as we’d like so we play Christmas music as we ride through the neighborhoods spreading Christmas cheer.
KAM’S Girls Fighting For Girls
(Female Empowerment Program)
This program will consist of monthly workshops where keynote speakers will be invited to speak to our young women about a myriad of topics including self defense, relationships, potential career paths, financial management, and more.
Goals: We believe that these monthly workshops will help the young women in attendance by presenting them options on how to cope with stress, manage emotions, and maintain safe and healthy relationships. This will also providing the necessary resources that we feel will be vital for a productive transition for adolescence to adulthood.
Richie’s Room
Richie’s Room will provide teens with a safe healthy space that will encourage at-risk teens to develop positive communication skills, productive social engagement and healthy peer friendships that we feel will give them an advantage in this very crucial stage in their lives.
The environment in Richie’s Room will be one of positivity, kindness and respect.
Teens will have access to resources that will both enrich and enhance their personal, social and professional lives.
Students will also have the opportunity to participate in incentive based community service projects, that will include trips to amusement parks, movie theaters, local skating rinks and laser tag arenas.
The core principle of Richie’s Room is to “Richly reward responsible reactions and responses”.
Goals: Our focus is to create an afterschool safe space that encourages youth to ‘think before they respond or react.” We want to give at risk teens a place to “pause and reset” before reengaging with their peers and those in authority. We look to create a temporary escape from the difficult decisions that impoverished teens are faced with everyday.