Help a Child

IMANI RITES OF PASSAGE
(Separation, Transition & Reincorporation)

The transition of young people into becoming mature, responsible adults is among society’s most significant challenges. Vital statistics on the health and well-being of young people, particularly African American males, are particularly alarming. There is a pressing need for positive educational and recreational programs to help them get involved in activities that promote positive health behaviors and protect them against high-risk ones. The community is—or ought to be—part of the solution. Hence, our range of activities is aimed at arresting negative behaviors at an early stage, turning them into positive ones.

Imani Rites of Passage is an educational, therapeutic, recreational and cultural enrichment program designed to foster the development of positive self-image and competence in young people by introducing them to cultural heritage and positive coping strategies that prevent risky behaviors. Our main concern is that contemporary society does not offer boys and girls appropriate initiation rites and rituals to facilitate their transition from one stage of development to another hence our comprehensive guidance and developmental programs aimed at helping to ease them through their inevitable transitions.

In Imani Rites of Passage we use the psycho-educational group model that combines the use of cognitive, emotive and behavioral techniques for providing young people with hope, support and encouragement, which in turn, enhances their life skills aimed at helping them avoid or overcome possible self-defeating behaviors that can diminish the effectiveness of their lives.

A value-based, cognitive cultural model of identity development is used in our catchment area to address the interrelated academic, emotional and developmental needs of African American children. The primary hypothesis is that the use of an afro-centric socialization model will help participants enhance their cultural identity. This in turn will help to develop and or improve their academic and social competencies which will invariably result in the reduction of risks of aggression and violence.