Former football players give back via young men's organization

Cantrell Andrews, Wyky Jean and Kweku Arkorful have more in common than having been teammates on the Southeast Missouri State football team. They share the same outlook on intervening at a critical time in young lives, at the point before it’s too late.

The entry point they targeted was sixth grade, where Andrew’s mother worked at Central Middle School. They started the Honorable Young Men’s Club in 2016, injecting expectations, accountability and values into male youth that might be at risk of making poor choices later in adolescence. They sought to transfer some of the lessons for success they had learned, such as the value of teamwork, discipline and responsibility. They did so with no thought of compensation, other than making the world a better place in which to live. One day a week, for two 45-minute sessions, they expected these future men to be somebody — to act like men. The boys were to wear neckties and look like men, and they would be given tasks in which they trusted each other through teamwork. Serving as mentors, they stressed integrity, self-determination, critical thinking and commitment to excellence.

When statistics and data came back from their sessions, Andrews, Jean and Arkorful were invited to become full-time staff members at Central Middle School. These young men’s devotion must have made quite an impact for a move of this degree, and it will be interesting to see the way they might be able to affect lives on an everyday basis going forward. The HYMC group includes select fifth- and sixth-grade boys the three men can visit in other classes and watch for behavior issues or other concerns.

This is an added expense to the district, but one with benefits not measured in monetary terms. Many students come from stable environments and do not require further encouragement or a watchful eye to stay in school or achieve good grades. Others are not as fortunate and lack role models and require assistance in breaking the chain.

We thank Andrews, Jean and Arkorful for their unprompted service as proactive volunteers. We appreciate your vision and sincere desire to help, and we wish you the best in imparting those virtues in all you touch, both youth and adults.