THE MISSION The mission of the Man The Block Safe Passage Program is to promote Safe Passage for all students in the District of Columbia through coordinated and collaborative efforts of schools, city government, civic organizations, and whole communities. Goals: • • • • •
Engage businesses and other civic minded organizations around the Safe Passage program Continue to build productive, safe communities around institutions of education Promote academic achievement Promote clear walkways (free of loitering, harassment, bullying, drugs, and alcohol) Increase the number of bike lanes near educational institutions for students biking to and from schools
THE HISTORY Since the doors opened to students in 2011, Richard Wright Public Charter School located in Washington, DC, began implementing the Man The Block Richard Wright Safe Passage Program on a daily basis. Founder, CEO, and Head of School, Dr. Marco Clark, understood the importance and need of connecting communities with schools to create safe environments for children to learn and be successful. The Richard Wright Safe Passage Program was created to provide Safe Passage to and from school by concerted efforts of staff, parents, and volunteers in the community to escort students to metro and bus stops each day. In 2015, after having implemented the Man The Block Richard Wright Safe Passage Initiative with success through before and after school posts, as well as bike and pedestrian escorts teams, the Man The Block initiative was expanded through the combined efforts of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. to reach out to the other organizations such as 100 Fathers, Inc., The Honorable Man Campaign, and the Promise Program, to bring attention to the need for concerned individuals and community members to unify and work together to provide encouragement, support, and safety for children traveling to and from school. Hundreds of men of different generations, professions, and backgrounds came out to escort students from school to the metro to ensure safety, deflect harassment, and deter crime and violence, while building relationships and increasing mentorship opportunities. Due to the success of the first Man The Block Initiative in August 2015, Man The Block Part II expanded to include 5 public charter schools in Southeast, Northeast, and Northwest. From strong support and partnership with the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and 100 Fathers, Inc., collaborating schools hosted events at their respective schools and increased community awareness and advocacy around the city. The participating schools along with parents, men and women from various civic organizations, businesses, colleges, DC Councilmembers, DC representatives, and the U.S. Marines, came together to demonstrate and model what communities can achieve by working together in order to create encouraging environments for our youth all over the city. Man the Block hosts events quarterly to maintain community awareness involvement to help create positive and meaningful solutions to the provide Safe Passage for all children in communities. Dr. Marco Clark, Founder and CEO of Richard Wright Public Charter School, emphatically believes in creating safe and nurturing environments both in and out of school to ensure the highest level of quality education for all children. As a long time educator committed to helping young people move forward in positive ways, he states, "We believe that every child, in every ward, in every corner deserves a safe passage home.�
THE NUMBERS
THE CHALLENGES Youth determined to receive a quality education often face challenges on the way home from school which often goes overlooked by the community. Dr. Jean E. Rhodes, in her article ’Youth Mentoring in Perspective,’ states, “Changes in families, work demands, and communities have left many adolescents without the adult supports that were available just a few decades ago.” For all students from PreK-12, traffic safety, such as availability of crossing guards, clear, accessible and maintained bike and pedestrian routes, speed bumps, more visible crosswalks, and additional bike racks, to crime, violence, gang activity and recruitment, harassment and bullying, as well as lack of resources, can greatly affect their educational outcomes. The challenges that children are beset with, especially in urban areas, just to get to and from school safely, can have direct implications on their emotional, social, mental and physical well-being, and thus, their educational experience and development. Statistics abound of children living in distressed environments due to barriers identified above, not only for Safe Passage, but also for the basic health and well-being of each child. The levels of anxiety, stress, and fear that children experience due to what they might have to deal with on the way to and from school has numerous implications in a child’s learning. These are powerful red flags for communities as a whole for a call to action to ensure safe environments and healthy development for all children.
THE SOLUTION The promising news is that as whole communities, schools, families, civic organizations, faith-based organizations, businesses, and government, get involved and work together, safe communities can be created for the benefit of all. Schools are central to the process, but need the support of parents and substantial help from a whole array of community members and organizations. All those involved have to be working toward the same goal of creating safe passage for all students, and thereby safe communities for all citizens. In order to effectively instill real change in communities, efforts should be collaborative, continual, and consistent. Representation needs to be cross-sectional and intergenerational resulting in responsible, resonating outcomes with accountability. Contributions and commitments should be made from individuals, families, schools, and communities, on local, state, and national levels.
THE IMPLEMENTATION Starting an effective Man The Block Safe Passage Program requires individuals strongly committed to creating Safe Passage for every student. Those individuals need to actively seek the involvement of every resource in town from all sectors of the community. A committed team of individuals can be formed from the school and key organizations to aid in conducting outreach efforts. The aim should be to engage active community groups and local organizers who would work to support and sustain the Man The Block program over time. A MTB Team may be comprised of educators, parents/caregivers, community leaders, representatives from a variety of local and regional non-profit organizations, civic and faith-based, and government representatives, representation from the local police, with an interest in promoting health and safety for our youth and our communities. At initial meetings, members of the MTB Team share information and identify issues they believe compromise the safety of students on their way to and from school. This insight helps generate ideas and helps facilitate the development of individual programs at each school. Following the formation of local Man The Block Teams, the information gathering process at each school continues, with the team conducting stakeholder interviews, collecting secondary data, conducting student travel surveys, mapping neighborhoods, and conducting a community workshop. Together, these steps allow the Team to develop a list of preliminary recommendations to improve conditions for students on their way to/from each school. Identifying barriers and areas of concern is essential in the process. The MTB Team should conduct a walking audit around their school neighborhood, where they record and photograph positive and negative aspects of the walking environment. The team can discuss problem locations including dangerous crosswalks, streets where speeding was a problem and abandoned houses or buildings, identifying areas where children do not feel safe walking, and where improvements could be made.
THE IMPLEMENTATION Obstacles and key concerns may include: •
•
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Damaged or obstructed sidewalks, no crossing guards, no school safety zones, faded crosswalks, no bike paths or racks to store bikes, bike theft, street litter, speeding vehicles, heavy traffic, blind spots, illegal parking, and heavy truck traffic in the school area, stray/loose dogs Threats to personal security, loitering, alcohol and drug use, gang activity, threats, harassment, bullying, crime, violence, a high number of registered sex offenders in the surrounding neighborhood, child abductions, men approaching young girls, and uninvolved citizens Mistrust, apathy, frustration and fatigue over past safety programs cancelled due to lack of funding, resources, interest, and immediate change, as well as frequent turnover of key personnel inhibiting continuity
Solutions may include: •
•
•
• • •
Improvement of safety zones by schools and bus stops through the addition of better, more visible crosswalks throughout the neighborhood, adding crossing guards, additional stop signs and pedestrian signals, flashing beacons, signs, or speed bumps to slow vehicles in the school zone Providing bus shelters at all stops, adding bike racks, security cameras around the school, installing speed bumps in the area of the school, organize student drop-off/pickup zone to improve the safety for kids that walk, create bike groups to allow students to ride together to school, adding school zone signs and pavement markings, installing high visibility crosswalks, hiring more crossing guards, increase pedestrian and bicycle safety education in the schools Bridging gaps of communication between schools and school leaders, multifaceted and cross-sectional approach to decreasing crime and violence with coordinated efforts form various factions of municipal, community, and school leaders Creating volunteer parent patrols, community escorts, increased coordination between schools and municipal staff Workshops and forums to address concerns and problem solve issues Quality of life improvements through the beautification and transformation of the physical features of neighborhoods with the addition of benches, trees, flowers, planters, community murals, trash and recycling cans on every corner, removing litter from the streets, and turning vacant lots into community gardens
THE IMPLEMENTATION Solutions may include: •
•
Programs must be responsive, flexible and make a long-term commitment, working with local community groups and cultural groups that already have credibility to alleviate fears and show support, finding connections and partnerships to the right groups City and school leaders must be committed and understand the value of the program, the safety of all students to and from school that is the key issue
THE RESULTS •
• •
• • •
Engaged, committed adults encouraging students, creating and providing safe communities, promoting positive educational outcomes and preventing problem behaviors Responsible, caring adults modeling behavior that gives back to the community, nurturing a sense of responsibility in youth and caring connections Participation of various sectors of community to promote the educational, emotional, social, mental, and physical well-being of children, increasing attendance, inhibiting dropout rates, reducing the use of substances, and improving relations with peers and family All sectors of the community working together to strengthen schools to produce welleducated young people and responsible citizens Increased parental and family support and intergenerational involvement Rallying forces and participation from all levels of our system, local, state, and national, can contribute immensely to the overall success of our youth and thus, the nation
THE RESULTS Participating Schools • • • • •
Richard Wright Public Charter School IDEA Public Charter School Paul Public Charter School Cesar Chavez Public Charter School Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter High School
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