The Young Men?s Educational Network (YMEN) is an effective and dynamic organization in the North Lawndale Community on Chicago?s West Side. YMEN was established in 1996 to address academic and social needs that cripple the futures of many young people in North Lawndale, particularly young men ages 10 to 18. YMEN serves about 150 families weekly by providing academic support and skill enhancement, entrepreneurial training, arts education, value based enhancement classes as well as mentoring, tutoring, sports/recreation and a wide variety of field trip experiences. The organization?s emphasis on student responsibility and ownership of the program has nurtured student leadership, fostered academic excellence, and successfully provided an alternative to academic apathy and gang membership. YMEN?s foundation is leadership development, preparing young people to become productive contributing members of their community. Students are recruited through the local public elementary schools and may participate after completing a program application and gaining parental permission. YMEN CORE students must maintain a 2.5 grade point average and make a commitment to serve 50 hours annually of community service. YMEN offers after-school programs, individual and group mentoring, classroom assistance for middle school teachers, expanded tutorial services for students needing academic support, and a liaison presence to engage the families and broader community in the educational process. YMEN has been honored for its many accomplishments and has been featured in publications such as the Cincinnati Herald as well as annual reports of leading foundations such as the Steans Family Foundation. The Young Men?s Educational Network will continue their growth in 2009 by seeking to raise community involvement and engaging the entire family by offering quality year-round programs, summer educational and recreational activities, a long-term mentoring network, and advanced leadership development. Current innovative programs include a student-run business, structural engineering and design class, culinary arts and visual arts classes, and a neighborhood-wide youth council. YMEN has partnered with five local schools: ? Henson Elementary School ? Chicago West Side Christian School ? Catalyst Charter School ? North Lawndale College Prep High School ? St. Gregory School The Young Men?s Educational Network (YMEN) envisions a future where the young men in North Lawndale successfully graduate from high school and college; actively participate in levels of leadership within the community; have a positive awareness of their own culture as well as other cultures; provide family stability as fathers and husbands; maintain meaningful employment; positively contribute in a diverse society. YMEN believes that central to the development of a healthy community is the intentional engagement of African-American young men to provide meaningful roles of neighborhood leadership.

For over a decade, YMEN has remained committed to its mission: to prepare young men in North Lawndale for leadership by helping youth grow in their faith and character, develop a love for learning, and use their talents to serve the broader community. This is accomplished first and foremost by creating a NETWORK that provides layers of support for our youth and their families.

Dare to Be King: YMEN has partnered with its closest CPS elementary school, Matthew J. Henson School, to offer the ?Dare to be King? program to 20-25 young men who are at risk for delinquent behavior and/or school drop-out. This program specifically targets marginalized youth who have been identified by the staff and administration for their need of specialized services, particularly in the areas of conflict management, academic motivation, violence prevention, making positive choices, and peer relations. The ?Dare to be King? program teaches, models, and provides coaching in effective nonviolent strategies to resolve conflict. ?Dare to be King? will challenge these youth to explore the dangers of aggression by illustrating realistic problem solving techniques as well as healthy alternatives to violence. The sessions will be conducted in a discussion format using the ?Dare to be King? curriculum as a springboard. This curriculum was developed by the Urban Leadership Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Money Matters: YMEN offers a 32-week entrepreneurship program designed to teach urban students how to start and operate their own business. Students select a business idea, conduct extensive market research, design their own business cards, write a detailed business plan, set up their own bank accounts, and receive venture capital to purchase inventory. The 32-week curriculum includes the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, satisfying a consumer?s need, understanding supply and demand, the four kinds of businesses, understanding fixed and variable costs, the art of negotiation, the sales call, selecting a business, conducting market research, and advertising and marketing. Classroom learning will be supplemented with trips to the local wholesale district, the Chicago Board of Trade, and to visit the Federal Reserve Bank. Finally, each student will be given a presentation by representatives at Harris Bank and given the opportunity to open individual savings accounts through the bank. Making Men Through Mentoring: M3 is an initiative that creates mentor groups throughout the neighborhood that provide once-per-week small group mentoring sessions and bi-monthly workshops. The workshops bring together the entire community for training in one of our five outcome areas ? work ethic, academics, life skills, safety and leadership. The weekly sessions help develop camaraderie and positive peer pressure, reinforcing the training. The goal is to grow leaders. In helping our youth achieve academically, we address the school dropout rate; in helping them choose safe environments and sharpen life skills we decrease the homicide rate; and in developing leadership and a strong work ethic in our participants, we will reverse the cycles of unemployment and generational poverty and begin a new path toward stability and wealth. We will build men who stand up for themselves, their families and their communities.