B.E.S.T. Men: Atlanta’s All-Male Academy Seeks To Close Achievement Gap

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From the moment they greet us with broad smiles and outstretched hands it is clear that Jabari Booker and Mykael Riley – our tour guides for the morning – take their duties very seriously. The seventh graders enthusiastically embrace principal LaPaul Shelton’s request to show us around their school. One thing is immediately apparent: Neither of these 12-year-olds, with their closely-cropped hair and spectacles perched on their noses fit the stereotypical images of young black males that often pervade in mainstream media and popular culture. Both are thriving academically, have never had any run-ins with the law and have great relationships with their fathers. Many of their classmates at B.E.S.T. Academy, a single-gender Atlanta Public School with a student body comprised entirely of black boys, aren’t so fortunate.

Forsyth Investigator Educates Teens, Parents About Cyber Dangers

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The United States Constitution might be the law of the land, but some of its basic provisions don’t prevail in Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jeff Roe’s home. “In my house my two children have no Fourth Amendment rights,” quips the father of a 10-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son. “They know that I have the right to log onto any of their email accounts at any time. I can go into their room and inspect the contents of anything that I want to at any time. A lot of parents say they don’t want to invade their children's privacy; I say it’s called being a parent.”

That same in-your-face-style shines through in the community seminars he has conducted on the sheriff’s department’s behalf for the past four years.

New DJJ Policy Lowers Costs, Raises Concerns

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Thanks to a new Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) policy overcrowding is no longer an option in Georgia’s Regional Youth Development Centers (RYDCs). There are concerns, however, that the mandate to maintain a smaller number of kids in facilities could potentially become an expensive logistical nightmare for law enforcement. Now when RYDCs reach the new lowered population levels, law enforcement officers are required to drive the juveniles to the nearest available facility – whether it’s 10 or 100 miles away. “Concerns have been raised that there are going to be longer trips and it’s going to cost more to move kids from one center to the other and to transport them to court, “ said Rob Rosenbloom, DJJ Deputy Commissioner. “It’s a legitimate concern, but our hands are tied due to budget constraints.

The Vine Prevention: Frank Ski, Celebrities Raise Money For Kids

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Movie stars, political leaders, entertainers, professional athletes, wine connoisseurs and novices alike lifted their glasses – ahem, wine glasses – over the weekend in support of a local prevention program for at-risk youth. The Frank Ski Kids Foundation, the namesake of the V-103 Radio personality and host of the number one urban morning radio show in Atlanta, celebrated its seventh annual Wine Tasting & Live Auction.  The Sunday evening affair featured a live auction of authentic autographed memorabilia, vacation packages and rare bottles of vino. Funds raised at the $250-a-ticket soiree held at a swanky Buckhead mansion, will benefit the non-profit Foundation’s programs, which seek to expose young people to promising futures through science, technology, athletics and the arts. “Our efforts to date have helped many children, but the needs of our children remain immense,” said Ski. “We must continue with unfaltering determination and dedication.”

Here's what some of the notable attendees who spoke to JJIE’s Chandra Thomas had to say.

30-Proof Whipped Cream Spikes New Health Concerns

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On the heels of the fight to keep caffeine-packed alcoholic “energy drinks” out of the hands of young people, a new health concern is emerging over a new product -- whipped cream with a twist. Cans of flavored alcohol-infused whipped cream, yes whipped cream, with names like Cream and Whipped Lightening have been popping up on local liquor store shelves. Much like the alcoholic energy drinks that the Federal Drug Administration threatened to ban in November (the maker of the controversial Four Loko brand has agreed to remove caffeine and two other ingredients, guarana and taurine), the toppings come in flavors like raspberry, German chocolate, cherry, Amaretto, caramel and vanilla flavors, which are especially inviting to young people. Similarly these so-called “whipahols” also pack a powerful punch at 15 percent alcohol, about 30-proof. Depending on how much is consumed, some experts contend, that can be about three times the amount found in beer.

Street GRACE Mobilizes Churches To Fight Child Sexual Exploitation

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“Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted, young and needy.” Karen Klett says that scripture, Psalms 82:3 to be exact, always comes to mind when she reflects on her church’s work with Street GRACE. The passage also seems to underlie the motivation behind why Klem’s church, 12Stone in Lawrenceville, and leaders from about 39 other metro Atlanta area churches, have been inspired to partner with the metro Atlanta-based non-profit. The non-denominational alliance of churches, community partners and volunteers is dedicated to “supporting, enlarging and allying with those individuals and organizations working toward eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children,” according to its website. Anyone who thinks underage sex for sale is not a church issue, should think again, Street GRACE leaders say. “God is a God of justice and this is a justice issue,” insists Klem.

Atlanta Church Facing Eviction To Serve Free Thanksgiving Meal

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The looming threat of eviction is not stopping a metro Atlanta church that provides multiple programs for at-risk youth from feeding the hungry for Thanksgiving. The Atlanta Urban Foursquare Church (AUC) is facing eviction from its building owned by the United Methodist Church, but church leaders say they still plan to move forward with its annual Thanksgiving meal for the poor next week. “We want to invest in souls; that’s the purpose of this church, to invest in souls,” says Pastor Mark Anthony Mitchell, a former drug dealer who turned his life around and earned a masters degree from Harvard Divinity SchoolSchool.  Watch CNN's interview with Mitchell:

Under Mitchell’s leadership, the church has earned a reputation as a “beacon of hope” in the economically challenged Lakewood community and surrounding neighborhoods. It’s been particularly welcoming to area residents who have served time in prison and need help re-entering society. AUC also houses a free pre-school and after school program along with hosting a mentoring and sponsorship program for ex-offenders.

Prevention Group Works On ‘Battle Plan’ To Stop Deadly Teen Violence

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The violent deaths of two metro Atlanta teenagers a week apart – allegedly at the hands of peers – has sparked a debate among members of a local violence prevention organization. Members of the Metropolitan Atlanta Violence Prevention Partnership (MAVPP), discussed the tragedies, and more specifically how to thwart similar ones, during its monthly meeting this week. The partnership, a who’s who of more than 200 local violence prevention groups, boasts a diverse membership that spans the spectrum from the Emory (University) Injury Control Center (EICC) and the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, local churches and law enforcement agencies. Attendees batted around an array of ideas Tuesday, including implementing large-scale community reform initiatives along with anger management counseling and expanded educational opportunities for young people and their parents. “I’d like to see more intervention aimed at the community,” says Shakiyla Smith, EICC deputy director.

Orchestra Program Seeks To Enrich Lives of At-Risk Kids

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Dantes Rameau had some convincing to do when he approached 10-year-old Donnell Fulton about trying out a new instrument. “Would you like to try the trombone?”

Blank stare. “Have you ever seen a trombone before?”

“No.”

“Would you like to try one?”

Blank stare. Donnell still wasn’t persuaded, so Rameau’s questioning continued. “Do you like jazz?”

Blank stare.

Fighting Cyber Bullying: Cobb Couple Counsels Kids and Families

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A Cobb County couple will be among dozens of esteemed experts sharing their cyber bullying expertise next week at an international conference in Seattle sponsored by the Microsoft Corporation. Author and Cobb County Schools prevention specialist Patricia Agatston and her husband Andrew, a Marietta-based attorney, are taking part in the Seventh Annual Conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association November 15 – 17.  The parents of two teenage boys will join panelists who hail from across the country and around the globe. Mrs. Agatston, a certified trainer and consultant for a bullying prevention program is a fixture on the cyber bullying speakers circuit and is regularly featured in local and national media discussing high-risk youth behavior online. “The main thing I want to get across is that addressing a bullying problem at school requires taking a very systemic approach,” says Mrs. Agatston, co-author of the book, Cyber Bullying: Bullying in the Digital Age, and author of two curricula on cyber bullying for Cobb schools.