Powerful Program For Young Men
Durk Davidson is working hard to reconnect after so much separation.
His connections give encouragement and life lessons to elementary and middle-school boys through Peace Education Program’s curriculum for young men. This program, called Navigators, is something he has been doing for the past 8 years -- a natural transition after Durk’s retirement as a JCPS Family Resource and Youth Services Center Coordinator
Right now, Navigators is working with about 130 kids within nine local schools, all which Durk says have different dynamics. Navigators is a strong community within Peace Education Program’s effort to teach youth how to deal with conflict. And Durk has seen that it works. He tells of running into past program members who are eager to see him and tell him about their lives.
The program is growing -- another Navigator leader, Justin DeLorenzo, has started leading the groups, and under the leadership of Durk and Carrie Christensen, program manager, they have developed a new manual with a student guide so that the program can continue to grow. Durk’s dream is to multiply this program to include six to seven men being positive role models for these young students.
Sometimes students come into the program hesitant, but that feeling quickly dissipates. “They form a bond with each other, and a lot of times they’ve seen me in the building,” he says. By the completion of the 10 to 20-week program, Durk says he and school staff were able to check various data points, including attendance rates, suspensions, referrals, and grades, to see if participants were having real benefits from the program (and they were!).
“It has been the most powerful thing I’ve been a part of,” Durk says. “It has been so rewarding.”
Topics during Navigator programs can be serious and confidential, but also it is about encouragement and skills. For instance, Durk says that one big thing as school years end and begin is teaching about the transition -- what to expect and how to get ready. “The lockers are a big thing,” he says. As well as choosing the right schools, visiting the open house, just thinking ahead to the next step can eliminate stress. He is always trying to find ways to connect and smooth the paths for these students.
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