Provided

Ramsey and Spence

Almost three years ago, Tyler Baier, Charlie Follett, Martin Pierce, all MBA Class of 2010 Park Leadership Fellows at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, started the MacCormick-Johnson Fatherhood Program to provide a positive male influence for youth in the MacCormick Secure Center in Brooktondale, N.Y.

The next year, more Park fellows participated in this program, including Kyle Helbing, Alex Woodcock, Ryan Barba and Christopher Burke, all MBA '11. They partnered with Beverly King, MacCormick's fatherhood program coordinator in the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, to provide mentorship, support, education and life skills to young inmates who may become fathers upon release.

For Park fellows Abraham Spence and J. Shakir Ramsey, both MBA '12, who inherited the Johnson fatherhood initiative, this project takes on a new meaning.

Spence, a native of Newark, N.J., knows firsthand the tough choices young men face on streets that glamorize violence and robbery as a means to cope with poverty and family hardships. Alternatively, Spence made choices that gave him a Morehouse College education, a career in investment banking, an MBA opportunity at Johnson and a chance to return to those streets to start a charter school.

For Ramsey, a Columbia University film grad and technology marketer who describes his path as "street poet to MBA," the program is a continuation of a leadership-development initiative he started in Atlanta targeting inner-city youth at schools and churches.

"What makes both of their stories relevant to the youth of MacCormick is that both are men from similar neighborhoods as the kids," King said of Spence and Ramsey. "Unfortunately, many of these young men have not seen men in their lives who are professional, responsible and care about them."

In an environment where authenticity is crucial to making a lasting connection, Spence and Ramsey focus on real-world application, interaction and hard skills.

According to Spence, "Helping them write greeting cards for Mother's Day is a nice gesture, but these kids need hope."

The new curriculum entails defining the participant's life goals and purpose, because Spence and Ramsey strongly feel that without the ability to self-lead, it would be impossible to father others responsibly. Modules consist of networking skills, résumé building, interviewing and financial planning. Once each module is complete, the young residents receive a certificate that goes in their records as evidence of character growth before the parole boards.

As Ramsey puts it: "We added this component of celebration to the curriculum not only to incentivize the youth to participate, but make sure they pause and praise little accomplishments. Positive reinforcement is necessary in a challenging environment."

After Spence and Ramsey graduate this month, a new set of Park fellows will carry the torch to help this initiative grow. "It is not where you come from," write Ramsey and Spence, "but where you are going, that counts."

More information about the Park fellows service leadership projects is available online.