Alpha Forum persuasion of resistant attitudes Houston, TX, uses an interdisciabout sexual abstinence, subplinary approach to implement stance abuse and violence. the Fraternity's national proAcademic Help entails an grams at various highly-populatacademic difficulty assessment ed African-American adolescent ** $510 million (8.8%) would be community sites—Fondren and establishment of study skills lost in school lunch subsidies. to improve performance—selectMiddle School, Northwood ** $5.6 billion (18%) would be Middle School, and the lost in food stamps, mosdy Harris County affecting families with chilDepartment of Juvenile The political climate of the United States dren. Probation. In addition, a ** $3.2 billion (39%) would be media outreach program reflects little progress as a society in translost in Supplemental is set up with a popular Security Income for disabled African-American radio forming the minds of racists and classists. children. station, Power 97.9 ** $612 million (24%) would KKBX, to provide edued tutoring, career counseling, be lost in child care subsication and counseling to youth and goal setting. dies (not counting restored on their day-to-day problems. Leadership Training profunds). Alpha Eta Lambda's integratvides training through discussion ** $2.6 billion (14%) would be ed approach to our national proof African-American history and lost in AFDC cash assistance grams emphasizes attitudepractice in public speaking on change and skills-training keyed and "welfare-to-work" prosocial and personal topics. to specific behavior related to grams. Social Development offers reckless sexual behavior, sub** $1.1 billion (50%) would be social development activities that stance abuse, and violence. lost in food subsidies for give opportunities to earn and Although we seek to identify and children in child care and discuss current events, to practice resolve problematic situations for Head Start programs. etiquette and to enjoy leisure adolescent males, the main goal The political climate of the activities such as sports, theater, is to set norms of personal conUnited States reflects little public forums, and the like. duct and skills training for abiliprogress in transforming the ties of self-management. This n the past, our programs minds of racists and classists. approach empowers young men have made a difference in Consequently, the people who to cope with the challenge of the lives of many adolesare most affected by imprudent becoming a successful man. cent youth. Nevertheless, there policymaking are AfricanBrother Bill Myers and has been very little theoreticallyAmerican youth. Of all ethniciBrother James Gillespie's based research published on the ties, African-American adolesapproach to male youth developreliability and validity of our cents have the highest morbidity ment has been implemented and community service interventions. and mortality rates due to malad- expanded by Alpha Eta Lambda Therefore, Alpha Eta Lambda justed behavior in most severe Chapter. The approach has four Chapter will pioneer our great health problems, homicide, sexu- components: personal developFraternity's effort to provide scially transmitted disease, ment, academic help, leadership entific credibility on the impact HIV/AIDS, cancer, low birth training, and social development. our work is having on youth weight babies, and the like. The following is a theoretical development. This is critically Because of these enormous basis for the activities in each needed for the Fraternity to jushealth problems, it is imperative component. tify funding to help our children that we as Alpha men accelerate Personal Development in the future. our national community service employs attitude change and efforts, notably Project Alpha skills training group sessions Both Brothers Peters and and Go to High School Go to using role model stories to set Howell are doctoral stuCollege. Our national programs norms and model skills. This dents at the University of provide a culturally sensitive includes structured group role Texas School of Public approach to reduce maladjusted playing to teach adolescent males Health. They co-chair behavior through health educato practice self-control and comAlpha Eta Lambda's tion and health prevention munication skills. Also, it national programs. strategies. Alpha Eta Lambda Chapter in includes planned dialogue for
could lose in fiscal year 2000 under the House bill, compared with current law (Children's Defense Fund 1995):
I
Summer 1995 •
The Sphinx A 7