The name of this program is ARM’s Positive Behavior Project. This program is geared specifically toward accomplishing the mission for 500 boys through the running of two-12-week programs with 25 participants per cycle. The mission is to positively affect and enhance the likelihood of African-American boys being meaningful, productive, and successful citizens through mentoring and exposure to cultural, educational, and recreational activities, which will provide for them an alternate to negative behavior.

Recent statistics indicate that there is a documentable increase in many areas of negative behavior on the part of African-American boys. These areas include homicide, school suspensions, low academic performance, criminal behavior, and sexually transmitted diseases. All of these problems are health related either directly or indirectly. The measurable addressing of these problems will improve and enhance the community in the following ways: 1) reduction of teen pregnancy, 2) reduction in the need for the treatment o injuries as a result of violent behavior, 3) reduction in occurrences of homicide, 4) improve mental and psychological status of the program participants, and 5) more awareness of the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases, which should result in fewer occurrences.

The general goals are to conceptualize, implement and produce cultural, recreational, and educational activities that will achieve the overall mission with the assistance of male mentors on an individual and a group basis.

We must put an end to statistics by providing intensive literacy skills for students from preschool through 12th grade. In Georgia, the latest government figures show that 59% of the fourth grade students tested and 69% of its 8th graders cannot read proficiently. The purpose of this literacy program is to make learning to read a simple, joyful, and effective process. Its mission is to ensure that each child becomes a successful reader, before or by the middle of third grade. After third grade, it offers a curative service for adolescent students and adults. It is our vision that the parents, teachers, and mentors who utilize this program will form spiritual and cooperative covenants, between homes, communities, and schools all across America, to ensure spectacular student achievement. In this reading program students will master all the elements of a sound reading language curriculum. The program includes a systematic agenda of learning alphabetic, phonemic awareness, and phonics. These skills enhance student achievement test scores. The instructor Sylvia and John Brown wants all children to learn to read in the way easiest for them (to understand).

“The best way is phonics, a system of teaching the sounds of letters and groups of letters. It starts with the parts, letters and their sounds, and moves to the whole words and sentences” – Sylvia Brown