Orita rites of passage for youth in the

Orita rites of passage for youth in the African diaspora Marilyn Maye, Ed. D. Warren Maye, M. A. Faith. Works 1

Orita rites of passage for youth in the African diaspora u u u A strategy for valuing our children A strategy for positive youth development A program of supplementary education A strategy that helps youth acquire different types of capital that they need for success A strategy that’s biblically based Faith. Works 2

“… where there is no vision, the people perish…” Faith. Works 3

Why do so many young people fail to achieve their potential? …because not everyone brings to school /college the same types of “capital” [Bourdieu(1986), Gordon (1989)] Although they may attend the same schools, students from different communities may perform differently according to the types of capital they bring to school. Faith. Works 4

Ensuring they reach their potential u Human capital – u Social capital – u Health capital – u adults in children’s lives who know a lot about and function skillfully in American life. (e. g. classroom teachers, parents, community members, etc. ) u networks of people who take a strong interest in children’s academic success and try to motivate them to work hard in school; friends who are academically oriented. u physical and mental health that support, not undermine, prospects for academic success Faith. Works 5

Ensuring they reach their potential u Financial capital u savings and income that can buy health care, buy homes in communities with good public schools, or pay for supplementary education services such as tutoring. Faith. Works 6

Ensuring they reach their potential u Cultural capital – u Educational capital – u Personal capital – u being familiar with the best of the collective knowledge, techniques and beliefs of their culture u having supports for appropriate educational experiences in children’s homes, schools and communities u belief in your own power to be successful in school and life Faith. Works 7

Reaching their potential Your son or daughter can succeed in school, college, and adulthood if (s)he can acquire and maintain: u u u Faith in the possibility of a successful future Resiliency in the face of academic and social challenges and setbacks Strong motivation to master his/her studies Spiritual and cultural moorings Emotional and physical health Faith. Works 8

A Partnership u Your church family can help support you and your child, by providing some of the kinds of capital he or she needs to be successful in school, college, & adulthood. u The process will work best if there is a partnership between parent, student, and church Faith. Works 9

Church – parent partnership Is your church committed to supporting you and your child in key ways? 1) 2) 3) 4) Spiritual growth and development Academic support Supplementary education – rites of passage College prep timeline and coaching Faith. Works 10

Challenges to our family-church partnership: u Street gangs u pregnancy u prison u drug, alcohol abuse u sexual promiscuity ages 7 to 11 - Prevention u Between compulsive behaviors programs OR From ages 12 and up - Intervention programs Faith. Works 11

Orita: rites of passage for youth of African descent by Marilyn and Warren L. Maye Faith. Works 12

Vision Statement u u u Orita is an opportunity to make an even better life for our youth than we have experienced. The Orita process helps prepare participants so that their lives will make a difference in the world. Orita provides a positive conversation, an alternative to the negative one they often engage in and hear about themselves. Faith. Works 13

Objectives u u Create a course of study, designed and led by parents and guardians, to make youth aware of the responsibilities of adulthood and expose them to their religious and family heritage. Conclude with a final recognition ceremony that formally acknowledges them before a community. Faith. Works 14

Orita program components u u u Launch Study Physical Challenge Honor Celebrate Faith. Works 15

Seven principles of Kwanzaa provide a unifying theme and are supported by research and by Scripture u u u unity of family self determination collective work, responsibility cooperative economics sense of purpose creativity faith Faith. Works 16

Implementation in your setting u u u Phase 1: Create the vision Phase 2: Plan strategy Phase 3: develop tasks Phase 4: execute and monitor Phase 5: Finish Faith. Works 17

Contact us at www. oritaritesofpassage. org Or By email at orita 1@aol. com Faith. Works 18