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PEN OR PENCIL™ combines elements of effective mentoring practice with positive youth development and a foundation for understanding and applying civil and human rights to respect law. Authorized for implementation through application followed by Memorandum of Understanding. PEN OR PENCIL™ is growing mentoring methodology operated through faith, school, municipal, and organizational affiliates in 15 states.

 

Applicants will be contacted by program administrator to determine your program implementation timeline, approach, and to establish a Memorandum of Understanding.
 

CHOOSE A POP PROGRAM THEME/APPROACH

 

Program hosts (affiliates) are required by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice (NAFJ) to incorporated evidence based operational standards into organizational frameworks which offer PEN OR PENCIL™. Each uses a twelve month schedule of commitment for one-to-one matches, group, and peer mentoring.

 

• PEN OR PENCIL Let Me Read You Your Rights™ is a national reading campaign launched by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice during the President’s UNITED WE SERVE National Initiative which uses three novels to emphasize the significance of rights guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, gained by the sacrifices and intense struggles of many, to particularly courageous acts during the civil rights movement which were led by youth. A dominant narrative in certain communities is that drug issues and the community’s experience with drug enforcement are embedded in the historic experience of minorities, especially African Americans, in America. The Let Me READ You Your RIGHTS™ Campaign seeks to build a bridge to ease strained relationships between at risk youth and law enforcement by creating an atmosphere and purpose for one-to-one mentoring exchange through reading.
• PEN OR PENCIL M.O.V.E.MENT™ {founded originally as M.O.V.E. (men of valor excelling) at Central High School in High Point, North Carolina}, is a PEN OR PENCIL™ curriculum which targets middle/high school males (but is open to females) using mentoring and service learning to guide young men through an outcome-based journey of service, learning, and ongoing reflection. Translating the journey to freedom of John Walls into life skills, driver safety, and civil rights terminology assisted by road signs, outcomes are measured by navigating through “twenty miles” of activities defined by chapters of the novel, “The Road That Led To Somewhere,” as written by Dr. Bryan Walls.
• PEN OR PENCIL™ What Love Got To Do With It? is a campaign which uses the choices and variables of Kemba Smith, a Hampton University student, who after enduring a turbulent four-year relationship in 1994, was sentenced to 24.5 years and served 6.5 years in federal prison. Ms. Smith regained her freedom after President Clinton granted her clemency in December 2000. In addition to the dictionary definition of love which is “ . . . To feel tender affection for somebody such as a close relative or friend . . ., “ the curriculum will ask and answer “What’s L-O-V-E Got To Do With It?” each month through activities, presentations, and media which use history, social studies, civic education, health, and language art standards to engage participants in critical thinking around the following conclusions: L-O-V-E cannot be defined at face value; L-O-V-E can have many implications and it requires work; 
• PEN OR PENCIL Renew the Neighbor and the Hood™ asks youth participating in PP SNCCs™ across the country, creating communities of promise will earn points (shares) assigned to program specific actions to build financial literacy skills and behavioral reform as investors in renewing and revitalizing their school and championing efforts to improve the quality of life in underserved communities with heavy priority given to youth empowerment zones along traffic corridors renamed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK Drives, Avenues, Blvd., etc.).
   

RECRUIT AND REGISTER YOUTH PARTICIPANTS. ASSIST THEM IN ORGANIZING THEMSELVES AS A SNCC

 

PEN OR PENCIL Student No Violence Coordinating Corporation™ (SNCC) are groups of fifty or more youth between the ages of 8-17 who volunteer (per Freedom of Choice Agreement™) to organize within a class, school, community, or organization across the country during the Learn and Serve Challenge. Youth groups will develop a plan of action, recruit and join forces with community partners in carrying out a Semester of Service which emphasizes crime prevention, community unification, and advocacy beginning on the Martin Luther King Day of Service through Global Youth Service Day (and beyond) in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee.

 

Link to SNCC Participant Registration Form

Note: If you do not have 50 core students. Use students who have committed to the program to recruit additional students. Fifty students is ideal, however, implementation is not contingent upon the 50 students. Even if you have more than 50 students, the goal is to have 50 COMMITTED youth that are willing to be a foundation for the program in your area.

PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY AND/OR RALLY TO SIGN THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE AGREEMENT

Participation is by freedom of choice, and in some locations, by court referrals with priority most consistently extended to ages 8-18 but with options for younger youth and older young adults.

The  PEN OR PENCIL Freedom of Choice Agreement™ is the document to be signed by each youth certifying that he or she is voluntarily participating in the cooperative learning approach of the PEN OR PENCIL SNCC™, will conduct service activities, will abstain from inappropriate behavior, and will participate in the national reading and economic literacy campaign.

Note: You may use the Initial Orientation as an opportunity to sign the Freedom of Choice Agreement. The Initial Orientation can be used as a rally to recruit youth. Be sure to have a date, time, and location after the signing where committed students will meet as SNCC for the first time.

PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR SNCC TO MEET AND DECIDE UPON THEIR MEANS OF ENGAGEMENT

 

PEN OR PENCIL B.U.S. Boycott™ -B.U.S. is the acronym for Building Unbalanced Systems. Building unbalanced systems is the consequence to inequitable application of law. B.U.S. Boycotts are service learning activities over a pre-determined set of days in a specific environment (schools, organizations of faith, communities) during which youth organize and agree to protect individual rights and freedoms by balancing responsibility through abstaining/boycotting from one or more adverse behaviors which lead to either of nine (9) decision points of disproportionate minority contact.

 

PEN OR PENCIL March On Washington for Mentors and No Violence™ is an innovative service learning approach during National Mentoring Month and in connection with the MLK Day of Service to recruit mentors by asking youth to plan and organize a march, led and/or joined by law enforcement, historic activists, mentoring organizations, and community leaders. In local communities where implemented, the march may occur on traffic corridors named Washington (Washington Street, Blvd., Avenue, etc.) with signage which helps to recruit and commemorate the civil rights movement.

Note: PEN OR PENCIL has purposed in its design the ability to shape activities around what works for your community/school/church/organization/group. Activities above are just suggestions. Using history as template and keeping with the mission of the PEN OR PENCIL Program, other activities can be engineered by the participants that provide an opportunity to LEARN by replication of historic events and SERVE the community/school/church/organization/facility/group simultaneously.

HAVE EACH INDIVIDUAL SNCC PARTICIPANT CREATE AN ACCOUNT ON DASHOLOGY.COM

Note: Elect ONE lead participant to create a group account for your SNCC and have each individual participant join the group. This will allow your lead participant to communicate, send messages to the group, and post pictures/events/activities of the group.