It’s hard to fathom that any child would even contemplate taking his or her own life, but that’s exactly what’s happening, according to a new study. From 2008 to 2012, the suicide rate among white boys between the ages 5 and 11 decreased from 1.96 to 1.31 per million. For Black boys? Not so much – the suicide rate more than doubled. It went from 1.78 to 3.47 per million.
Two questions: Why is this happening and what’s being done to stop it? While the exact answer is still unclear, many believe that the higher one’s self esteem is, the less likely they are to consider suicide.
The following organizations are dedicated to building the self-esteem of Black boys and young Black men.
1. My Brother’s Keeper
President Barack Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) challenge to help young men of color – particularly Black men – not only realize but begin to tap into their potential and some of their wildest dreams. The initiative works closely with several businesses and foundations to help fulfill that mission. According to its website, MBK focuses on six key aspects:
- Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn
- Reading at grade level by third grade
- Graduating from high school ready for college and career
- Completing postsecondary education or training
- Successfully entering the workforce
- Keeping kids on track and giving them second chances
To learn more about the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, visit www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper.
2. Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men
Steve Harvey is known for giving back to the community, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he decided to take it one step further by launching the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men (SHMP).
The mission? To present Black boys with positive role models they can model themselves after while growing up to become successful Black men. According to the website, SHMP instills the following principles: integrity, responsibility, respect, honesty, patience, discipline, service, and courage.
To learn more about the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program, visit www.steveharveymentoringprogram.com.
3. The African-American Male Initiative
Launched by the Children’s Aid in 2007, the African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) seeks to provide Black boys with the tools they need to achieve academic and financial success.
More specifically, according to its website, AAMI seeks to “gain a better understanding of the issues facing young Black males” and “create new and better program strategies to address the needs of this vulnerable population.”
In 2007, Steps to Success, the first programmatic strategy of the Initiative, was launched. Steps to Success focuses on five core areas: life coaching, academic support, cultural enrichment, sharing the stories of everyday heroes and parent education.
To learn more about the African-American Male Initiative, visit www.childrensaidsociety.org/african-american-male-initiative.
