According to the National Center for Juvenile Justice, males were involved in 72% of delinquency cases handled by juvenile courts in 2009. Voices of Alabama stated that many Alabama youth detained in juvenile prisons have committed offenses that would not be considered criminal if they were 18 or older. Furthermore, research shows that placing youthful offenders in juvenile prisons has been proven to be the least effective method in reducing future offenses. Community-based treatment is less expensive and demonstrates long-term positive effects. A report from the Schott Foundation in 2012 indicates that across three of the state’s largest school districts, Birmingham City, Montgomery County, and Mobile County, the disciplinary treatment of boys of color varies when it comes to out-of-school suspensions. In Mobile County, 7% of the districts Black male students had been suspended in the 2009-2010 school year, compared to 22% and 31% for Birmingham City, and Montgomery County, respectively. Although these statistics have no faces, they do shed light upon the growing epidemic of violence and other forms of negative behavior in dangerously high concentrations amongst boys.

Measures of a Man is a school-based program specifically designed for young males with a focus on character development, violence prevention, and self-efficacy. Measures of a Man encompasses a weekly curriculum that engages 45, 6th-8th grade students at each school. The goal of this program is to build generations of young, responsible men of courage and character. The program curriculum is based on five units: Making of a King, Manhood, Business and Industry, Culture and Civics, & Health and Wellness. Within the units are sixteen modules that contain more specific session topics that ascend in-depth with the student’s grade level. The sessions are designed to completely surround the students with knowledge and wisdom in all aspects of their lives. 

Program sessions are specifically designed to provide students with greater depth and knowledge of applicable module topics as students mature. This allows for additional repetition of the program modules while ensuring students are provided with the most relevant and appropriate content. Measures of a Man involves partnerships throughout its curriculum. To provide students with a more dynamic view of certain curriculum units, specialists are brought in to discuss applicable topics.  We know that banking institutions are better equipped to teach students about financial literacy; that the local etiquette school is more suitable to instruct students on proper dinner etiquette in various social settings; that a company’s human resource department can provide students with a more accurate real-world interview simulation; and that the YWCA are trained experts in facilitating discussions on domestic violence. The partnerships that we have established and sustained are paramount to our effectiveness, thus we place great importance on harnessing these relationships. Each partner is also required to complete a training module prior to their session, which teaches the fundamentals of the organization along with what is expected of them during their session.