“Are you going to play C team or rec. ball?” Booker T. Hobbs asks when Deontre “Tre’” Ross visits the Candler County Extension office. Tre’ responds that his coaches have advised the 5-foot, 5-inch, 200-pound 12-year-old to continue in the recreational league.

“You’ll have to come to some of my games, Mr. Booker,” Tre’ says. “I’m going to be playing fullback. I’ll be running over some folks.”

Hobbs agrees with Tre’s coaches’ advice that he stay in the recreational league. “That way you’ll see a lot of playing time,” he notes. “If you play C team you won’t get to play in any games.”

In most settings, the friendly chatter would have little significance, but seventh-grader Bodhi Roberts and Tre’ are members of the Candler County Building Our Youths’ Skills program, a five-year project focused on ensuring that 40 boys, originally identified when they were in the fourth or fifth grade, receive the attention they need to stay on track both academically and socially.

“The seed for this program began during a Family Connection meeting when we were discussing the county’s teen pregnancy rate,” according to Mary White, Candler County’s family and consumer sciences Extension agent and the driving force behind the BOYS program. “As we discussed the programs that already were under way and those we had done in the past, we realized we had never had anything specifically targeting young males, especially those in third through ninth grades.”

Working with the other members of the Candler County Family Connection coalition, which includes the Sunshine House child advocacy center, Communities in Schools, the Candler County Intermediate School and Board of Education, the Candler County Health Department, as well as Candler County Extension Office, White applied for a federal grant through the USDA’s CSREES-National Children, Youth and Families At Risk program in May 2003. The program began that fall with an initial group of 35 fourth and fifth grade boys and 10 girls.

“Our students face an array of difficult circumstances,” White says. “Many of them come from single-parent families. Many of these parents work multiple jobs, but the family may still be below poverty level. Some are in foster care and others are shuffled between family members.

“We began with an after-school program that offered tutoring one day a week and social enrichment programs on a second day,” White says. “We were concerned that the students would feel stigmatized for participating. Instead we’ve had students clamoring to join the program.”

The BOYS program has had its ups and downs as White has worked to stretch the grant dollars with support from other organizations, such as the school system. The result has been most obvious academically with the students showing greater success on the federally required standardized tests, but White is just as proud of the students’ other accomplishments.

“When we began this program we had a skeptic say, ‘You’ll never get these kids to do anything,’” White recalls. “But this year alone we had seven seventh graders and 14 of our fifth and sixth graders who participated in the 4-H District Project Achievement program and they were all offered complete scholarships to attend 4-H Camp at Rock Eagle. We’ve had students participate in the science fair, too. Involvement in these sorts of programs requires them to learn to set goals and follow through, to set priorities and be organized with their time management.”

But it’s not just academics and 4-H projects that BOYS focuses on, which is where Hobbs comes in. As program director, Hobbs—a lifelong resident of Candler County—oversees the enrichment program.

“When we began this program we all agreed we needed someone like Booker T.,” White says. “Fortunately, it happened that he was interested in moving from his full-time position to a part-time position so he could return to college.”

“I’ve been working with youth for 30 years,” the 47-year-old Hobbs says. “I’ve coached boys in football from four year olds all the way up to high school students. These kids are going through a lot of changes,” he continues. “They’re facing tough decisions and have to deal with a lot of peer pressure.”

In addition to providing a safe environment, the BOYS program also connects with the families—Hobbs visits the family of every BOYS participant twice a year.

“These families know me, so they’re glad to see me when I come,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to find out if a boy is having trouble at home or if there are things going on in the family that are making it harder for him. I’m not there to tell anyone how to raise their kid. I’m there to offer support.”

  (L-R) Bohdi Roberts, Booker T. Hobbs and Tre’ Ross.

Seventh-grader Bodhi’s mom, Tina Roberts, counts both Hobbs and the BOYS program as godsends.

“Bodhi’s had a tough time because he’s diabetic,” she explains. “When his blood sugar is real high he can’t focus on his class work.”

As the family has struggled to learn how to manage Bodhi’s diabetes both nutritionally and medically, the BOYS program has been a needed release, she says.

“He gets real upset if he misses anything the BOYS group is doing,” she says. “Booker T. is like family.”

And Bodhi clearly relishes the opportunity to excel.

“I’ve already turned into a team leader,” he says. “And when I get to eighth grade I’ll be a study buddy for the younger kids.”

Likewise Tre’ points out the 12 academic awards he received this spring for accomplishments including perfect attendance and earning all A’s on his report card.

Tre’ points out that Hobbs advises the young men to stay focused on their studies.

“He’s straight up and says the things we need to do and not do,” he says. “He’ll tell you, ‘Don’t let your girlfriend get in the way of your schoolwork.’ If my homework is hard, he’ll say, ‘Tre’, just focus.’”

The BOYS program is designed for only 45 participants. When students move or drop out, opportunities are created for new members. Out of the original group, 25 are still members. Ten of the students moved, while another 10 opted not to remain a part of the program. With two remaining years on the grant, the students are now divided between sixth, seventh and eighth graders, but White is trying to anticipate what will occur when they begin entering high school in 2007.

“We don’t know what will happen when they enter ninth grade,” she says. “High school is far removed, both physically and socially, from where they are now. There’s so much more exposure to drugs and sexual activity once they enter high school.”

White is now focused on writing another federal grant proposal that would provide continuity for the BOYS program and establish similar programs at all of the county’s schools.

“We are accomplishing a great deal,” White says. “Now, we’re hoping to make everyone in the community aware of these accomplishments so we can continue to get the support that we need to help our children.”