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www.m-powerhouse.org
P.O Box 15061
Durham, NC 27704
M-PowerHouse is a multidisciplinary model designed to address the economic, educational and health factors which impact youth violence. The name was conceived by co-founder Harry P. Marshall, Jr., MD who combined the words empower (definition – to give ability to; enable) and house (definition – the people who live in a house, considered a unit, a social group.) He then changed the “em-“ of empower to M-power to lift up the names of Martin Luther King, Jr., Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Thurgood Marshall, Nelson Mandela, and Morehouse College all of whom have had a great influence on his life.
The model has two (2) major components, the Adult/Youth Symposiums and the M-PowerHouse Enrichment Center. The Adult/Youth Symposium is the brain child of co-founder, Terry Smith. The purpose of the symposiums is to:
• Increase symposium participants’ knowledge about important health issues.
• Utilize hands-on activities such as role-plays, skits, and real life stories to expose youth to positive role models and the benefits of good decision making.
• Provide opportunities for students to participate in discussions and activities, which challenge them to utilize their critical thinking skills.
The Adult/Youth Symposium will allow us to obtain data by way of surveys and questionnaires to help determine the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs and competencies of the symposium participants about economic, educational and health factors. With this information a needs assessment can be performed and acted upon by the M-PowerHouse Enrichment Center.
The M-Powerhouse Enrichment Center establishes a 24-hour presence in the community, which builds trust by infusing human and capital resources into the neighborhood. It will also provide a means by which concerned individuals and organizations in the fields of healthcare, business, law enforcement, and education can establish a consistent and trustworthy relationship into the community. The resident facilitators, who will be undergraduate and graduate students, will assist in program development and delivery. They will also function as mentors and coaches for the youth. This will help improve the quality of life of the participants and have a positive social and environmental impact on the community. What makes M-PowerHouse unique is the direct investment of human and capital resources, into the community to follow-up and follow through on addressing those factors, which impact youth violence. Those factors being: education without inspiration, inadequate preventative health and dental care, poor access to health care, and the lack of economic & financial empowerment.
Short and long term follow-up of the program participants and surveys of the community will measure the effects on the community and future generations. By doing a needs assessment of the community of interest, this model can be reproducible.
M-PowerHouse-Conceived by Medical Professionals to Unite Communities & Address the Educational, Economic & Health Factors that Impact Youth Violence.
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 Greetings from the Middle East! First, let us give God the Glory for reenergizing M-PowerHouse and all who support us. As Americans we have so much to be thankful for, which becomes so obvious when you are deployed to war torn environments, but we also have a lot of work to do. Our communities are full of bright young minds, boys and girls, waiting to be exposed to a better way of life. As adults, our responsibility is to reach out to those children and plant seeds of dreams that are obtainable. Once those dreams have taken root, we must give them the tools to make those dreams come true. Our mission is to create an environment which fosters wellness, life-long learning and economic empowerment. As we address these factors we will significantly impact youth violence.
To become a national leader in the development of multidisciplinary teams to address youth violence we must first create a firm foundation within our own organization. Our growth has been phenomenal over the past six months, primarily due to the outstanding leadership of our Executive Director Terry Smith. However we must focus on building more capacity if we are to keep up with our current pace. This is not an easy task but one which is obtainable given the talents which we presently have on our board. At this stage of our development our board is a working board and I am asking all board members to bring their unique strengths and perspectives to the table. M-PowerHouse needs your input in order to continue to grow and build capacity.
Let me tell you why I believe M-PowerHouse is the right organization with the right concept to address the problem of youth violence. Our multidisciplinary model engages professional, educational and community organizations with the sole purpose of addressing youth violence from a primary prevention perspective. By building bridges and relationships to create a win-win environment for all involved we will create a sustainable model. The time is right because at no other point in America’s history has there been a more diverse population with the means to come together to help one another. Our goal as an organization is to prevent destructive behavior by uniting communities to address the educational, economic and health factors that impact youth violence. We can and will accomplish our goals because, in addition to having the right model and the right people, M-PowerHouse is built on integrity of character, good intent and robust content. With strong leadership we will translate our actions into quantifiable results.
As we prepare for our 2008 Youth Symposium in Durham, North Carolina it is my goal to continue to build our foundation and capacity. This will require all of our talents and expertise. Let us give Terry all the support he needs to make this an outstanding inaugural event.
Special acknowledgements to Restoration Institute for Leaders (RIL) and the D.L. Forbes Youth Academy, we look forward to a productive and lasting relationship.
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