Man Up: As Befits a Man

On Wednesday, February 26, 2020, the men of DonCARES of Philadelphia, Inc. and Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through Hard Work (S.M.O.O.T.H), Temple University Chapter hosted a Man-Up Discussion for male-identifying high school students at The U School. Man Up is a specified initiative targeting male high school students at The U School.

Members of both organizations talked to the students about each member and U School student's definitions of success and manhood. Nasir a member of S.M.O.O.T.H Temple and Temple's Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) encouraged students to think about their definitions of manhood and how respecting others is one aspect of true manhood.

Coordinated by DonCARES Assistant Director Cameron Battle-Bradshaw, the Man Up conversation for male-identifying students was co-facilitated by DonCARES Mentors Joel and Ramond and S.M.O.O.T.H Members Narayan, Evan, and Nasir.

Since the 2016-2017 school year, part of DonCARES' resources has been focused on providing safe spaces for young men to discuss their challenges, successes, and overall prospectives on the future. Also, DonCARES recruits positive male college students of color to serve as consistent volunteer facilitators.

DonCARES of Philadelphia's Man Up Discussions were inspired by Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper Initiative. Since 2017, DonCARES has held over ten mentoring groups targeting over 100 high school-aged boys in grades 9-12 at The U School in North Philadelphia. The varying conversations focus on addressing issues relating to academic success, emotional health, financial management, conflict resolution, and professionalism.