Photo: MPYD
MPYD celebrates ten years of success mentoring young men at Muir High School. But there's still more to do.
by Timothy Rutt
Ten years ago, Eddie Newman, principal of Muir High School, was looking for a few good men.
Back then, Muir was having a problem with the football players, said one of the men she recruited, Tecumseh Shackelford. After football season, the players were skipping class, wandering the hallways, and creating problems. "The way that the athletes go, that's the way the student body goes, so she was having a challenge," Shackelford remembered.
Newman came to the Black Males Forum in Pasadena, a group of community leaders and activists who would meet to talk about issues in Altadena and Pasadena. She wanted some men to walk the hallways.
"She just needed some men to walk the campus," said Shackelford, "so we just walked the campus. We started walking the campus at lunchtime -- we weren't security guys, we just walked. But you know when the kids see men walking around, they say, 'What are these men, walking around?'"
MPYD is formed
The men would meet the boys in the hall and talk -- just talk. Ask them why they weren't in class. These men weren't teachers or administrators, who might get some guff from somebody showing off to his friends -- they were adult men the kids might have seen in the community. Some were their pastors or deacons. They'd talk. Then the students would go back to class.
From left, MYPD co-founder Altadena Town Councilman Tecumseh Shackelford with Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard at an MYPD lunch talk.
After awhile, some of the key men -- Shackelford, Gene Campbell, Velton Paggett, Johnnie Driver, Del Yarbrough and Gary Moody -- decided to form a formal organization, and down in the Pasadena NAACP office Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development (MPYD) was born.
MPYD has grown from just "men walking" to a program with staff and many volunteers ("there are 45 mentors right now -- we're looking for another 40, " Shackelford said). Mentoring is an important part of the program: MPYD also coaches the young men on the skills and tasks needed to get to college or trade school. The young men have gone on to school at Berkley, University of Wisconsin, Wiley College, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Kentucky State University, Winston-Salem, and Pasadena City College, among other places. MPYD has also placed over 450 young men in internships and job.
There's also a meeting every lunch period with motivational speakers and tutoring.
Bringing in community support
But it's not all about academics. There are field trips, hikes, a summer residence camp, job placement assistance, and service projects. MPYD marches in the Black History Parade and helps with the annual Altadena Sheriff's Station holiday toy drive.
MPYD youth volunteering at the Altadena Sheriff Station's annual toy drive in 2009. Far left is then- Lt. Steven McLean, who was Altadena's captain from 2010-2012, with Lt. Shiela Sanchez. Then-Capt. Roosevelt Blow is on the far right).
MPYD receives support from Sup. Michael Antonovich, several individual donors including coatings manufacturer Cardinal Paint, and the Flintridge Center. Congressman Adam Schiff also helped MPYD get a $130,000 grant two years ago.
Also a big help is their annual fundraising luncheon, which this year will be next Saturday, May 12, at Brookside Golf Course. Academy Award-nominated writer/director John Singleton will be the keynote speaker at this year's luncheon, which is chaired by Supervisor Antonovich.
Also honored at the luncheon this year will be restaurateur Robin Salzer (Cardinal Paint Award), Robert Farias (Community Partner Award), Manuel Almanza (Angel Award), Muir High School principal Sheryl Orange (Academics for Success Award) and the Real Men Mentoring Group (volunteer award).
In ten years, MPYD has mentored over 500 male students of all ethnicities at Muir, and kept them in school for a 96% retention rate. They also get the parents on board, enlisting their help for scholarship applications and academic monitoring: there's a website where parents can keep up with their children's schoolwork and grades.
Walking the campus has kind of fallen by the wayside, but Shackelford said "I want to start that back, just being seen."
Next Saturday's awards luncheon starts at 6 PM. Tickets are $75 each, or $700 per table. Order tickets from MPYD at 1905 Lincoln Ave., E509, Pasadena CA 91103. For more information, call (626) 396-5600 x 82009, or email: info@mpyd.org.
