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Preventing Crime In The Black Community
by William Jackson, Instructor with Edward Waters College
"Preventing Crime In The Black Community Conference"
Speaking at the PCBC conference in Tampa, Florida over 1200 middle and high schools
students attended from Urban Leagues throughout the state of Florida, attending the
30th Annual Conference of this educational and motivational conference. Attended by law
enforcement personnel from across the state as well, provided students an opportunity to
meet and interact with law enforcement men and women. Developing an understanding
of how to interact and engage with each other on a level of mutual respect and trust.
Speaking on Social Media Safety and SWAG, the potential of being recruited by extremist
organizations both foreign and domestic is real, the students are learning that their digital
content can keep them from employment, educational, and military opportunities.
Educational Implications
Access to online resources provides knowledge, education and empowerment beneficial to
students, knowledge base and development of a Brand they can Market. Students must be
taught to value knowledge and how to use it to increase the ability of virtually apply for jobs
and attend virtual educational opportunities. Youth may have the highest scores in Grand
Theft Auto, Madden, defeat aliens in Halo or can mimic the moves better than Michael
Jackson in "Michael Jackson, The Experience" (Wii), how many can create a PowerPoint
presentation, modify a Word document, send an email attachment and write a blog with
correct spelling, grammar and literary comprehension? These are employment skills that
are needed to survive in today's high tech world.
Employers are Wise to Social Media
Employers are involved in social networking; they are researching students content, looking
to see if potential employees have questionable social patterns and lifestyles. Mike Hargis
of CareerBuilder.com, "Twenty-two percent of employers say they use social networking
sites when evaluating job candidates", this should say to youth of today stop putting pictures
that attract attention to them as being "sexy, down, gangsta, thugs, and even gay in some
cases. " Students may hurt their chances of employment, military service or admission to
higher educational institutions. Danger is further felt for those employed run the risk of being
"let go" because of questionable behavior online, content on their sites and lying about their
backgrounds. Social sites can be used to highlight skills with technology, management of
information and finance, the ability to navigate web sites that build professionalism and
connectivity to the business world.
Resources:
Preventing Crime In The Black Community
http://PreventBlackCrime.com/
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So what's the answer? We can talk about the issues all day long, but what's the solution? How do you get a kid just as interested in a PowerPoint slide as he/she is in those games? How do we give them those life skills that they will need at the next level? How do we get them to care about what comes next after school, whether it's college, military , trade school or the job force? The bulk of the issue falls on to the kids. They have to be motivated to learn and want to be successful. You can give them all of the tools, but if they don't want it or are not interested then what's the point?
What's the solution?
A solution that has worked with other developed countries is exposure to careers at an early age.
To allow students to see the power or empowerment of technology beyond just games.
Showing kids they can program robots, design cars, solve mathematical problems that
lead to oceanography or space exploration.
The is how it can change.......
Schools will have to adapt, and many are with computer classes that teach programming and web
development. Programs that are teaching kids to be business owners and other skills that require
further education and can show success in some fashion, to be a guide for students success.
Wm