Youth Guidance

Program Overview and Background

Youth Guidance’s Becoming A Man (BAM) program provides school-based mentoring and counseling to students in grades 6-12. The program guides youth as they learn, practice, and internalize social-emotional skills that correlate to long term success in school and in life. Students who participate in BAM are more likely to graduate high school on-time, develop healthy relationships, and stay out of the justice system. A randomized control trial from the University of Chicago Crime Lab found that violent crime arrests for BAM participants were 50% lower than the control group and that the overall arrest rate of BAM participants was 25% lower. Researchers also found that BAM youth graduated high school on time at 19% higher rates.

Program Services

BAM places full–time BAM Youth Specialists in schools to provide a dynamic blend of group and individual mentoring services. Each youth participant has access to one group session, called a BAM Circle, per week. BAM Circles utilize a curriculum that fosters self–awareness, social–emotional well–being, a positive future orientation through the exploration of six core values: Integrity, Accountability, Self–Determination, Positive Anger Expression, Respect for Womanhood, and Visionary Goal Setting. Beyond BAM Circles, youth have access to individual
mentoring and support services from their BAM Youth Specialist, as well as access to field trips and enrichment activities that enable youth to apply the program’s values and skills in safe and supportive settings.

Target Population

BAM targets students who identify as male in grades 6–12 who reside in high–crime and low–income urban communities, as well as those who’ve been exposed to traumatic stressors or face social, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional challenges.