Holistic Man

The latest Bray Center program development..."Holistic Man" is as much a long running effort as it is a new program because it now has a measurable structure to it. For 15 years, Bray Center staff has been fielding nearly daily inquiries from among young men, mostly late teens and early twenties, ranging from ages 14 through 24. They ask for assistance to find work, to finish high school/GED requirements, to get or recover a driver's license to be able to get to a job, to manage family dynamics/relationships/childcare/etc., and to find their niche in society, their personal strength, their inner spiritual base. This year, the Bray Center has these young men complete intake forms identifying demographic data, personal situations in academics and/or the justice system, goals which define their Individual Action Plan. Staff provides encouragement, guidance and mentorship, daily measures of the steps of action identified for success.

There is no traditional funding for "Holistic Man" as of yet, so Bray Center staff operate as volunteers in the effort. This target population is maybe the least attractive to program funding sources, even though their plight affects so many; their children/our children, their sense of value/our moral value, their future/our future. We just couldn't wait any longer to begin in a structured and measurable manner to help address these issues facing a growing number of young men who find themselves in a threatening environment, both of their own making and of a society which seems to have them pegged as failures. The program goal is to assist as many as possible through a combination of high expectations (taking steps to help themselves, leaving the street activities, enrolling in schooling/training of some kind, taking responsibility for self and community) and authentic encouragement/guidance. For the record, young women have always asked for and received attention as well.

We'll keep you posted as to the success of the program.