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Peer Education and Reproductive Counseling for Young Men (PERCY)
The Peer Education and Reproductive Counseling For Young Men (PERCY) project is the National Organization of Concerned Black Men’s (CBM) teen pregnancy prevention program. One of the few CBM programs designed specifically for boys, PERCY seeks to encourage young men to take personal responsibility for their sexual behavior. PERCY is funded by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Family Planning) and the Freddie Mac Foundation.
Goals
- To help adolescent boys abstain from premature sex
- To provide young males with the information to make wise decisions
- To facilitate discussions on sexuality and other issues crucial to male adolescent development
These goals are achieved through:
- Conducting educational sessions on puberty, abstinence, self-esteem, teenage pregnancy prevention, STDs and other relevant topics
- Facilitating parent conferences on effective child communication, adolescent and teen sexuality and other topics
- Creating group mentoring opportunities by trained CBM volunteers
- Providing community awareness seminars to organizations and professionals that work with young boys Principles
The PERCY Project is based on the following principles:
- Whole Life, Not Just Sex Education: Young men in the PERCY Project learn that acting responsibly is a matter of making good choices in all areas of life.
- Male Perspective: PERCY acknowledges the specific social, biological, and physiological characteristics unique to young men.
- Hope for the Future: PERCY encourages young men to plan for the future. If boys do not believe they have a future, they have little reason to make wise sexual and life decisions.
- Connection to a Significant Adult: Whether it is a parent, mentor or teacher, some responsible adult must be part of any prevention program. PERCY helps to strengthen and create ties between young males and responsible adults.
- High Expectations: PERCY offers a clear message of high expectations for all participating youths and their parents. PERCY is funded by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Family Planning) and the Freddie Mac Foundation.
PERCY is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Family Planning) and the Freddie Mac Foundation.
Substance Abuse Prevention
The CBM Substance Abuse Program is Concerned Black Men’s effort to integrate substance abuse messages into its projects and activities. Because there is a strong relationship between substance abuse and risky sexual behavior, CBM includes substance abuse prevention messages in its HIV and teen pregnancy activities.
Goals
- To help youths understand the risks involved in substance abuse
- To facilitate the development of skills that discourage and prevent substance abuse, such as the ability to resist negative peer pressure
- To increase the number of young people who will commit to being drug free
- To reduce the number of youths who use alcohol before a sexual encounter
These goals are achieved through:
- Integrating a substance abuse message into most of CBM’s projects
- Mentoring by CBM staff and volunteers
- Enrichment and fun trips to broaden a child’s horizons
- Public education campaigns on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention, including community awareness seminars, public service announcements, poster and sign placement, and articles in magazines and other publications
The Substance Abuse Program is funded by the Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA). APRA is a branch of the District of Columbia Department of Health.
This comprehensive program encourages young people that the best way to avoid premature parenthood and sexually transmitted diseases is to remain abstinent until marriage. Teen participants are helped to understand social pressures to have sex, and are given skills, information and adult support to postpone sexual involvement.
- To help teens gain a better appreciation of the consequences of premarital sex
- To encourage youths that remaining abstinent until marriage is the best life choice, and give them skills to make postponement of sexual activity more likely
- To provide leadership, life skills and youth development opportunities for young participants
- To offer teens the opportunity to act as peer mentors so that they can teach younger children the benefits of abstinence
- To provide parents with skills, knowledge and confidence to speak with their children about sexual issues
CBM Abstinence is funded by the Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs, which is a part of the Office of Population Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition to our signature programs and initiatives, CBM National also seeks to accomplish its mission by forming mutually beneficial collaborations with partners and supporters such as:
2025 Network for Black Men and Boys
An initiative advancing the educational, social, emotional, physical, spiritual, political and economic development and empowerment of African-descendant men and boys in the United States. Established in 2006, it is the nation’s FIRST national network of black men and boys that focuses exclusively on the empowerment of African-descendant males. A principal goal of the 2025 Network is to own, leverage and brand the national conversation about improving outcomes for Black males in America.
Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation
Ensures that the needs of the whole child are met through the development of programs and support of community-based organizations that foster excellence in the areas of health, education and social well-being within urban and ethnically diverse communities. In 2013, CBM National has partnered with the Steve Harvey Mentoring Campaign to host a “Become a Mentor” Forum and Recruitment Campaign with our CBM CARES® site in Columbia, SC. Our CBM CARES sites in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County, MD also participated in a similar Harvey Foundation forum in January 2013 in Landover, MD.
WTTG FOX 5 TV – Mentoring Monday Phone-A-Thon Campaign
CBM National has hosted Mentoring Monday in partnership with WTTG FOX 5 in Washington, D.C., since 2010. During Mentoring Monday, which is broadcast live over several hours during the FOX 5 morning newscast, CBM National and participating mentoring organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area staff a bank of telephones to recruit prospective mentors and create awareness about their programs.
We also recognize and thank the following partners and supporters:
| Commonweal Foundation Community Preservation and Development Corporation D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation District of Columbia Public and Charter Schools DTLR (formerly Downtown Locker Room) Greater DC CARES Mad Science of Washington Marshall Heights Community Development Organization Mayor’s Office, City of Columbia, SC Mentors National Nemo Express Transportation Company Office of the U.S. Attorney Patriots Technology Center |
Prince George’s County, MD Public Schools Richland County (SC) School District One Scholastic Book Partners Southwest Airlines Taproot Foundation The Washington Wizards U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention U.S. Department of Labor White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives White House Office of Public Engagement Zenful Bites |
