Rice University the home of the Owls and the Harvard of the West set the backdrop for the closing ceremonies of the youth impact program at Rice University. It was a humid, sweltering hot day with a brief midday rain that added to the experience making it feel like a steam room. Approximately 100 boys between 12 and 14 yrs mostly from the third ward of Houston along with the same number of family members sat in the Alumni room that viewed the end zone of the historic old rice stadium with banners of players that played in the 40s. The group was combined with the YIP staff made up of a dozen or so of Rice's current football players, a few female athletes, four local Houston Jr. High Teachers and the Athletic Director and his staff. The makeup was close to 90 percent black with the remainder Hispanics and white.

The kids and the staff dressed in White collar YIP Rice shirts looked like a unified group and added a sense of organization of pride. Impressed was the boys looking you in the eye and shaking your hand with a deference of respect, something that was taught rather than natural, but the gesture showed the power of the program. There was a keen sense of brotherhood and unity amongst themselves from these weeks together. A team like atmosphere where the natural teasing, touching and caring for each others bond of being together for a purpose, knowing that they were special, a select group that stuck together for this 3 week time period of their lives.

As I spectated this scene, I was able to converse with a few of the public school teachers on their perspectives of the camp. Behind the sliding door room next to the main room were a dozen or so boys doing push ups as a disciplinarian result for their behavior. This was natural and nobody thought anything of it as it was accepted by the whole group including the staff and families. Some of those boys enjoyed the attention that they so needed that it would seem they step out of line to get the attention. This notion of consequences for actions is the fundamental success of why the youth impact program is real and effective. The parents see it and most important the public school teachers see it and are in awe of it. The public school system here in Houston does not allow nor should I say have been restricted to do discipline in this nature. That type of atmosphere is where these boys have no consequences for their actions good or bad and thus their "street" behavior is acceptable and condoned between themselves and their teachers. Given this, it is so powerful and so critically important that our program is valued and proven to change these young men.

The other aspect is the universal drive inherent in all the boys to play football - contact football - that they all love to play amongst each other, compete and just be a member of a football team. This need that gives them status and acceptance amongst themselves is stronger than any bond that can be taught. Imagine you going through updowns, sprints, bear crawls and hitting with all the gear on for 2 to 3 hours everyday in the oppressive heat that only Houston Texas can produce in the month of July - voluntarily. Think about it- that's unbelievable drive in these inner city boys, a dive they have never had or showed most likely in there lives to this point. That alone is the key success and achievement of the youth impact program that stems self confidence and self esteem that can be placed in any field that these boys choose to do. Think about it - that is a life changer.

What also is key to this is the buy in and the enthusiasm of the student athletes, the staff and the teachers in the support of the program and of all of these boys. They have been and showed today their love and dedication to the boys’ way beyond what was expected to do a summer paid camp for kids. The student athletes were as natural as the most highly skilled, educated and experienced teachers and maybe more effective as the boys respected, looked up to and cherished their attention      

I would add that the support displayed by Rice University in housing this program, running the program and being the 'place' their home away from home   for these boys for the last three weeks made a positive everlasting memory that was the rock for the this program to achieve its results that will bear fruit.

The university is the community that is the village that is the family unit to make change. This is Rice and without them, this would not have happened.

I am pleased and excited that this first year program was successful and embedded here in Houston. The future remains solid and the potential here to grow is unlimited.

From the outside patio of the Houstonian hotel on a summer evening with a cigar in hand reflected on an impressive day here.

Riki

 
Riki M. Ellison
Chairman & Founder
Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
515 King Street, Suite 320
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-299-0060
rikiellison@missiledefenseadvocacy.org
www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org