OMEGA Scholars and Isuthu Mentoring Programs
Click Here for: Mentoring program letter to parents
In February 2010, Iota Iota Iota Chapter and Riley Elementary School, in Salt Lake City, experienced a highly blissful and cultivating symbiotic relationship when we decided to adopt their school and provide positive role models throughout the school year. We have recently adopted East High School of Salt Lake City to work with its freshman through senior year African, African American, and Polynesian boys.
In March 2010, the Chapter took the ideas and successes of Dr. Smith's former Rites of Passage program and transformed them into a new collaboration. The mission of the OMEGA Scholars Program is to work with and establish relationships of support and guidance to young minority boys, ages 14 - 18, as they progress through the transformation to manhood, while instilling the values of capable and dependable leadership and high academic skills.
As a small chapter of only 10-15 members, we have to make sure that we can have a high impact but consolidate our overall service efforts. As a result, we have combined our efforts between adopting East High School, working with the local Big Brothers Big Sisters, and restoring Dr. William Smith's Rites of Passage program (called Isuthu which is Swahili for "Coming into Manhood") into our new Saturday OMEGA Scholars Program. We have developed a collaborative effort with Colors of Success to better target and assist young Black, African, Mexican, and Polynesian males. Our Isuthu program meets on every fourth Saturday at East High School, the University of Utah, or Calvary baptist Church from 10 am to 12 pm, ending with lunch on most days. We will always announce the location of our meetings at least one month in advance.
The objectives of the organization are:
A. To work with young men toward personal development.
B. To assist young men in setting and achieving high academic, moral and ethical goals to become a better citizen.
C. To teach organizational and time management skills.
D. To encourage and foster principles of healthy respect and understanding of other religious and African/African American cultural traditions.
E. To help and encourage young men to adopt the principles of Manhood, develop leadership skills, and to serve as role models.
F. To assist parents and teachers in the development of a total work ethic.
G. To develop the desire to Persevere in adverse situations.
H. To develop an awareness of Community needs and the desire to render community service.
I. To develop well-rounded young men with values, perception and skills to thrive and succeed in today’s society and yet maintain strong ties to their families and communities.
The OMEGA Saturday Scholars and Isuthu programs consists of young men from all over the Wasatch Valley of Utah and will have an enrollment period opening in November and closing in December. The mentees will be expected to participate in our Chapter's programs: Achievement Week Celebrations, Toy Drives, the N.A.A.C.P. - Salt Lake City or Ogden Branches' Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events and the community Parades, nursing home visitation and food deliveries, "Feeding the Homeless" program, the Charles Drew "Blood Drive" and Sickle Cell educationals, attend University of Utah or Utah Jazz games with their mentor, and various workshops/seminars regarding health, community interest/ citizenship, conducting meetings, finances, and spirituality.
If you know of an African, African American, or Polynesian boy between the ages of 14-18 who could benefit from this program, please make sure that his parent or gaurdian gets the following information on the link for "Tri Iota Youth Mentoring Programs" and we will be in contact.
Currently, we meet at the University of Utah, in the College of Education, room #201 in Salt Lake City, Utah.