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I AM
RAISING
WE ARE
RAISING
I am raising a nubian prince
not a new prisoner
I am raising an intellect
not an inmate
I am raising a citizen
not a communist
I am raising a community activist
not a community terrorist
I am raising a problem solver
not a problem
I am raising a positive black male
not a pessimistic black malefactor
I am raising a future changer
not a failed change
I am raising a brother
not a bother
I am raising a woman lover
not a woman beater
I am raising a decision maker
not a doomed male
I am raising a leader
not a liability
I am raising -
We are raising
FUTURE RAISERS
-Sharon K. Jackson
Graduate of the Effective
Black Parenting Class,
Spring '96
![[Missouri Children, Youth and Family]](mocyfbnr.gif){kind=small}
Parenting classes respect cultural differences
Training classes can provide a helpful map for parents trying to navigate their children's rocky years. From the terrible two's to the tumultuous teens, child-rearing offers any parent scores of challenges.
Black parents face all those challenges and more. Which is why extension specialists in Kansas City began offering the Effective Black Parenting Program, a unique workshop designed to meet needs specific to black parents.
The program is based on the premise that traditional parenting programs do not take into account the unique history, values and life circumstances of Black Americans, says Faye Johnson-Kendrick, a 4-H Youth specialist and Site Director for Kansas City's Missouri Children, Youth and Family (MOCYF) program. The program, which includes 15 three-hour sessions, shows parents how to build a "Pyramid of Success for Black Children."
The course is increasingly popular; so much so that many of the course's graduates have gone on to form support groups and recruit members for subsequent classes, says Johnson-Kendrick. The series is facilitated by Yvonne Matthews, an HES specialist at Lincoln University.
What makes the course so popular is that it embraces an appreciation for black culture and history as it shows parents how to teach their children pride in their heritage and community.
The course also tries to substitute historical parenting techniques that might not be best for child or parent, says Johnson-Kendrick. For example, in the African American culture, spanking is a common disciplinary tool. The notion of "spare the rod and spoil the child" is pervasive, supported - even lauded.
But is it the most positive, not to mention effective, way to change a child's behavior? "Most child development specialists would say 'no,' " says Johnson-Kendrick. "But when you've got a culture supporting the idea, it's hard to change the behavior."
"It's still a very accepted practice among black families," says Johnson-Kendrick. "And that's going to take a while to change but what we do in the course is show parents a lot of alternatives to try before they think about resorting to spanking."
Because demand for the class has grown, organizers developed a training session that sent 14 facilitators into the Kansas City community ready to teach the course. Matthews taught and organized the training session, which included members from churches, schools, parents as teachers and, most importantly, five graduates of the Effective Black Parenting class.
"The community has really supported the class and that's one of the best things we've seen come from all of this," says Johnson-Kendrick.
Effective Black Parenting is one aspect of a collaborative effort among Lincoln University and Human Environmental Sciences and 4H/Youth Development Extension at the University of Missouri. The two universities cooperate to support two community-based sites at which programs have been developed to support at-risk children, youth and families.
For information about the Missouri Children, Youth and Families Program, contact:
Kathleen Cain, Project Director,
State 4H Office, Whitten Hall,
University of Missouri,
Columbia, Missouri 65211.
| Site Administrator Jeanne Bintzer bintzerj@ext.missouri.edu
|
University
Extension does not discriminate on the basis of
race, color,
|
