Do your homework.
Some leaders in Snohomish County have done theirs, and a popular national YMCA program is thriving in Marysville and Everett. The Minority Achievers Program isn’t complicated. Its focus is straightforward: to give students of color a place to gather after school where they can do their homework — where they must do their homework — and get help from tutors and mentors along the way.
This is hardly a new concept. Organizations have been doing the same thing for years and this particular program stems from the Black Achievers Program, which began in 1971 in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. But it’s proof you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to attract young people and motivate them to improve their lives.
Credit goes to community activist and MAP director J.J. Frank, who introduced the program here — a move that brought him United Way’s 2002 Community Impact Award. Frank, who works at the Marysville YMCA, is no stranger to working with teens. And he understands that some of them, especially students of color, can struggle with school work — as WASL test scores show. This approach of providing a safe place, solid role models, rules and rewards appears to be the magic combination for attracting teens and improving their grades.
In a recent Herald article, one student shared that her grades went from C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s, much to her parents’ delight. No kidding. And all without having to hire an expensive tutor. This young woman even introduced her friends to the program. That’s the kind of peer pressure we could use a little more of.
Even more encouraging and exciting is the confidence and enthusiasm many students are gaining. Students as young as sixth-grader Lila Hart are sharing their experiences with others at local conferences and speaking on behalf of county youth and the program. Lila even serves on the 2003 MAP Committee. Others are benefiting from career conferences and field trips to college campuses — and theme parks. The program even hands out some scholarships to students who are pursuing college, a goal that is encouraged.
Starting and sustaining a successful program isn’t easy. It takes initiative followed by cooperation from many people, groups and businesses. That doesn’t mean the program has to be complex. MAP is proof that a simple plan carried out with hard work produces great results.
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