Who We Are

WE ARE . . .
an intervention/ mentorship program for minority young boys.
OUR GOAL....
The overarching goal for The Gentlemen’s League Mentoring program is to reduce suspension rates, and to improve student achievement and increase graduation rates, which will ultimately decrease the juvenile violent crime rates for homicide, assault, and violent behavior.

OUR MISSION....
Founded by Educator, Mr. Archie M. Moss, Jr., the Gentlemen's League was initiated due to the realization that there is an ongoing crisis in the lives of many young males.

The Gentlemen’s League’s mission is to intervene in the lives of at-risk boys, in order to provide them with alternatives that will lead them away from a life of crime and violence, and lead them to a life of achievement. Our mission is to educate, empower, and enrich our males.

OUR OBJECTIVES....
The Gentlemen’s League’s vision is to instill in the youth the values of mainstream America, while respecting the existing values of the individual. This project focuses on three general objectives:

  1. Increase the availability of quality mentoring for youth by recruiting more caring, committed adult volunteers from traditional corporate, community, and faith-based sources of volunteer mentors.
  2. Decrease the number of disciplinary incidents and suspension rates.
  3. Increase student achievement and improve graduation rates.

OUR PURPOSE....
Currently in our nation female students are out performing male students. In these times, many men are banished from the American economy and faced with choosing the drug market for survival, which increases violence in schools and society in general. Many of the former school fistfights are now gunfights. African American and Hispanic American account for more than 50% of all suspensions. 50% of African American and Hispanic males are not proficient in Reading and Math. African American Males are absent from school on average 10.7 days and suspended from school 10.6 days, while Hispanic American students are absent on average 11.1 days per school year and are suspended 7.7 days per school year (Statistics are based on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools). These challenges will only worsen, causing severe impacts in our future, if we just sit back.

A large part of this escalation is because parents are not taking responsibility for their children’s actions and because positive male role models are absent. There is a large amount of male students who lack guidance, motivation, and drive to be successful in school. Currently in schools, male students lack male role modes and do not understand what it means to be a young, educated male. Mentoring is a powerful and personal way to enhance the lives of males at our schools. According to statistics, the minority male child is an endangered species. Therefore, it is imperative that we counter this threatened extinction with programs of prevention, development, and acceleration. The Gentlemen’s League will help males stay in school and graduate.

IMPACT OF THE GENTLEMEN'S LEAGUE:
A PROMISE OF SUCCESS . . . When students enter the program, they are guaranteed a chance to attend college or advance through a potpourri of post-secondary opportunities geared toward the next level of education. Mentors from the program assist students with their matriculation through middle school into high school and into post-secondary opportunities.

Short Term Impact: Students who participate in the Gentlemen’s League will be tracked quarterly to determine the effectiveness of the program. The short term impact of the program:
  • Less suspensions/ disciplinarian issues
  • Increase is students’ personal values
  • Increase in student achievement
  • Increase in school/student morale
  • Increase in leadership development
  • Increase in accountability

Long Term Impact: Statistics show that males who are enrolled into a mentorship program are more likely to attend a college or university. Students who participate in the program and graduate statistically have no further negative contact with violations of student conduct codes or the law. When students enter the program, they are guaranteed a chance to attend college or advance through a potpourri of post-secondary opportunities geared toward the next level of education. Other long term effects are:
  • Increase in student achievement
  • Decrease in student dropout rates.
  • Increased number of student admitted into college.
  • Increase in students college/career readiness
  • Decrease in behavioral issues in/out of school
SUPPORT . . . We are in need of support from district officials, private sectors, and businesses and organizations. Funding has been derived from grants.
FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM . . . The goal is to expand the efforts of the Gentlemen's League throughout the district of Shelby County and across the United States, transforming it to a national program. As a school-wide or district program, its efforts would be riveting as we watch minority males suspension rates decrease, student achievement increase, and high school dropout rates decrease one day at a time.

For additional information contact the Gentlemen's League
a.moss@thegentsleague.org.