SIKESTON - At-risk youth in Sikeston may soon have the opportunity to build a better future by understanding and appreciating their past.
For more than a dozen years, the Watoto de Afrika program has helped disadvantaged African-American youth stay away from drugs and gangs by putting them on the musical stage, according to Donald O'Conner, a school teacher and professional musician from Memphis, Tenn.
The program aims to break the cycle of violence, crime and low achievement. The method of accomplishing this goal, according to O'Conner, is to "engage the kids in meaningful activities." In this case, that meaningful activity is performing arts.
During a presentation for the City Council during their regular meeting Tuesday, O'Conner outlined his plan to demonstrate the program's effectiveness in Sikeston.
Arrangements are now being made for an Oct. 8 performance by the Memphis Watoto de Afrika at the Albritton-Mayer Center for the Arts.
"After that show we'll sign up young people who are interested in having this experience here," O'Conner said. While the program targets middle school students in grades 5 through 9, "it's open to everyone," he said.
O'Conner said his program will organize and train those who sign up. Participants will first learn about history, the arts and global awareness by researching the historical background of the compositions they will perform or the biographies of the composers who wrote them.
This process not only gives the students a deeper knowledge of the material to be performed, it gives the students an appreciation for the experiences of the selected artists by learning about their food, their clothing and their environment, O'Conner said.
The program focuses on three main areas - vocal music, drama and dance. The repertoire includes hymns, Negro spirituals, freedom songs, jazz, blues and R&B with performers wearing African costumes and face paint.
Participants must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 in school. Students who fall below are not expelled but are placed on probationary status and not allowed to perform until the G.P.A. requirement is met.
"We're really serious about education and turning these kids around," O'Conner said. Of the hundreds of students that have stayed with the program through high school, not one has failed to graduate, according to O'Conner. Nearly 3,000 participants have graduated from high school with most of those pursuing a secondary education as well.
Those who meet the requirements in Sikeston will be able to perform in a December Christmas production along with the Memphis chapter. The presentation will include participants telling stories of how the program affected their lives.
Following a performance in Sikeston, O'Conner hopes to tour with the Sikeston group. Touring provides opportunities "to get out of their little boxes and see what the world is like," O'Conner said, in addition to providing incentive to meet the academic requirements.
Parental involvement is mandatory being an essential part of the formula. "One of the challenges with these kids is that the parents aren't involved," O'Conner said. "The joy the kids get out of their parents being involved is just wonderful."
Launched in Memphis, Tenn., the program has been successfully implemented in 12 other cities, according to O'Conner: Jackson, Biloxi and Mound Bayou in Mississippi; Mobile and Birmingham in Alabama; Nashville, Jackson and Dyersburg in Tennessee; New Orleans, Little Rock, Ark., Atlanta, Ga., and Cairo, Ill.
The program can only handle 50-80 children per chapter but it is more about quality than quantity. O'Conner said there has not been a single arrest or pregnancy among participants in his program. "We stumbled up on something that works," he said.
Having established the program in larger cities, O'Conner is now focusing on smaller communities "where people still care about people."
"When I spoke with the mayor he really seemed to be concerned about those kids that aren't doing well," O'Conner said.
In addition to positive comments from the mayor, Department of Public Safety Director Drew Juden offered to help by having DPS school resource officers identify at-risk children in the area to participate.