MANATEE — When members of the local fraternity asked a roomful of Harllee Middle School boys how many had family who went to college, only two hands went up.
That is why the Kappa Alpha Psi Guide Right Foundation wants to launch a mentoring program, Guide Right, at the middle school — to train young boys to be successful.
“We need to implant in their minds that they can go to college,” foundation President Alfonza Mobley said Wednesday.
And that effort to instill in students the importance of college can start in middle school.
The Guide Right program offers selected students a chance to be connected to a member of the fraternity, hopefully for their entire school career, said Harllee Principal James Hird, who is also a member of the fraternity.
Students are selected from the school and then paired with mentors, he said.
“We really look for signs of leadership potential and signs of achievement,” said Hird. “Leadership doesn’t always look the same in kids. Students who may not do well academically may exhibit leadership quality.”
Those are the students who could use the boost or could use the additional guidance, he said. The program at Harllee will start off with 25 students.
“We generally try to target minority students. We feel that’s where the greater need is right now since we can’t help everyone,” Mobley said.
“Each fraternity member is assigned students and they will meet with them as a group and individually at least once a month.”
In the meetings, mentors will help their charges on qualities such as social interaction, career development, community and personal development and health issues, Hird said.
Most of the fraternity members in the Bradenton-Sarasota area are professionals or retirees, made up of doctors, educators, engineers and even preachers, Mobley said.
So special attention is paid to pairing up the students, Mobley said.
“Whatever field they (students) choose to go into, we’ll put someone in the field with them,” Mobley said.
“It’s not just a random assignment.”
If students stick with the program, they may be eligible for scholarships, Hird said.
Last year, the foundation doled out about $9,500 in scholarship money to participants.
Sylvia Lim, education reporter, can be reached at 745-7041
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