Mr. Cokley starts Boys 2 Kings mentoring program

by Laila E.

With the hopes of making a new generation of young men feel empowered , one AHS staff member, Mr. Cokley started a mentoring program called Boys 2 Kings towards the end of August. Mr. Cokely is the founder and executive director. The first meeting was planned for this Tuesday, September 12.

The goal of Boys 2 Kings is to let young men at risk of being overlooked know that they too have the opportunity to be productive members in their communities. Through this program these young men will be given the tools to achieve a good education in college and successful careers.

Boys 2 Kings shows that it is never too early to start improvement as boys as young as five years old can be a member of the program. The oldest a member can be is 21 years old, so there is no shame in taking a little longer in wanting to become someone that they can be proud of.

As the program is year-round, there will be a different area of focus each month for members to abide by. The topic for August was Staying Physically Fit.

These features of Boys 2 Kings definitely fulfill Mr. Cokley’s inspiration. “What inspired me to start Boys 2 Kings was setting the scene for young men to better themselves,” said executive director Mr. Cokley.

The program also has everything Mr. Cokley envisioned. Mr. Cokley shares, “By joining this organization, boys will be benefitted by becoming more productive citizens.”

One Boys 2 Kings member can attest to this. “I joined Boys 2 Kings to become a better man and do better for myself,” says Jermaine M., a senior at AHS.

There is a lot of excitement amongst members as the organization begins, and they cannot wait to see what is in store for them.

According to Youth.gov, mentoring programs benefit at risk students by providing them with life skills training and coaching that allows them to develop the necessary abilities to excel academically. At risk students in mentoring programs are more likely to graduate high school and have higher self-esteem than at risk students that are not apart of a mentoring program.

If you are interested in joining Boys 2 Kings, reach out to Mr. Cokley in the nook on the 500 hall.