New Haven Public Schools
United Way’s Cara Rosner sent in this write-up about a recent session of Parent University:
They are no more likely than their white counterparts to commit crimes, but black men are far more likely to become or remain incarcerated. Black and Latino males are more likely than others to have confrontational encounters with police. There are more black and Latino men in prison than there are enrolled in college.
Those are just a handful of the issues that arose this month during a passionate discussion about “Addressing the Needs of Urban Youth.” It was one of nearly 30 workshops offered during Parent University New Haven, a free day of workshops for New Haven Public Schools parents at Gateway Community College.
The event drew 200 parents. Workshops were offered in English and Spanish, and topics included how to discipline children without abuse, reading with your child, making healthy eating choices and the importance of male involvement in youth’s lives, among many others.
Previous Parent University events were held in November 2012 and April of this year. As with the past events, the session focusing on urban youths’ needs was among the most popular Saturday.
“The deck is stacked against our kids,” said one of the workshop’s leaders, Brett Rayford, director of adolescent and juvenile justice services at the state Department of Children and Families. He shared the statistics mentioned at the beginning of this article with about two dozen parents who attended the workshop, several with their young children in tow.
“It is a definite challenge raising black boys and brown boys in America,” Rayford said, noting the prejudices they often face in everyday life and the history associated with those prejudices.
“Understanding who they are and where they come from is crucial to building self-esteem,” he told parents. “You have to prepare them to manage that history. It’s your job to teach your son, your daughter that history.”
One father who attended with his wife and young son reflected on the hardships he encountered growing up as a black male and the obstacles he anticipates his son will face. “To avoid those traps, you have to have strength,” he said.
Another attendee, a mother, voiced concern about police officers who live in the suburbs being assigned to patrol inner-city areas. They may enter the community with preconceived notions and stereotypes, she said.
All of these circumstances, Rayford said, are things urban youths need to be aware of and prepared to deal with – and it’s largely parents’ job to educate them.
The session was not solely about identifying problems, but also offering solutions. Mayasa Akbar, executive director of Integrated Wellness, issued some calls to action for the parents in the room. Among them: have high expectations for children, be a committed partner in their education, monitor their afterschool activity, be aware of who they are friends and spending time with, and incorporate sex education into home life.
As parents, “your job is never done,” she told them.
Parent University’s goal is to help parents become more active partners in ensuring their children’s success – in school and in life. Parent University New Haven is a collaboration among New Haven Public Schools, the city, United Way, Boost! and New Haven Promise.
At the same time the discussion on urban youth took place, elsewhere throughout Gateway parents were attending workshops that taught them about the Common Core curriculum, how to navigate the pre-school network, how to improve their job search and how to fill out the Common Application for college, among other topics.
Learn more about Parent University at punh.org.