SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) -- An after-school mentoring program for at-risk youth in Sheboygan is helping teen boys gain the knowledge and skills necessary to transition from youth to adulthood.
USA Today Network-Wisconsin (http://shebpr.es/2ku3bDn) reports the Strength Through Leadership program, which operates through a contract with the Sheboygan County Department of Health and Human Services, encourages building confidence through life skills.
Coaches Courtney Gatlin, Antonio Humphrey and Andrew Jakus meet four times a week with 12- to 16-year-old boys referred to them by county social workers. The program provides group activities, such as attending sports games, cooking and playing board games, as well as one-on-one sessions.
Gatlin says the boys are encouraged to express themselves and talk about their problems. The mentors reward positive decisions and try to make the teens more aware of the consequence of destructive or negative decisions.
