One Million Mentors Tour Hits Columbia

Self-proclaimed ‘bad boy of radio’ Michael Baisden made a stop in Columbia Thursday as part of his multi-city mentor campaign tour. The disc-jockey was welcomed by a crowd of more than 700 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, as he encouraged parents and community leaders to volunteer. Monique Williams reports.

To see the complete story, click on the Video Player icon under the News section. For more information on how to become a mentor, go to www.onemillionmentors.com.

By Bristow Marchant Published:

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 9:18 AM EDT

BADD - BM

African-American boys often have one of the toughest times in school. The teachers at Bell Street Middle School are determined to change that with a program for Black Achievers Determined to be Different. BADD was started at Bell Street last year under the direction of Assistant Principal Hal White. "BADD is a mentoring group for African-American males started by Dr. Robert Kirton in Columbia," White said while sitting in a Bell Street classroom. "The program was taken up by the district. We're one of the first ones in the Upstate, so we're kind of a piloting program." The program focuses on seven issues in the lives of young black men; character, communication, community, conviction, history, preparation and wellness. "In each area, we taught them the basic principles in our curriculum, with the three of us acting as facilitators," White said. Along with White, the other leaders of the BADD program are Al Devlin, a support services teacher, and Talbert Glover, the school's art teacher. In its first year of existence, BADD followed 14 students through the school year, challenging them on each of the seven principles. Eight of those students have moved on to high school, and the rest now form the core of an enlarged group of 24 students. "We picked young men from varying backgrounds and brought them together to help them become better young men through meeting the challenges," White said. "We purposely picked