New Haven, Conn. — New Haven, Conn. - The boys from Baltimore sprawled on leather chairs and sofas in the dark-paneled sitting room of a castle-like residential college at Yale University. It was the kind of place where scholars from earlier decades might have relaxed with cigars as they dissected the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
This lesson was just as heady. These 47 children and teenagers, many from tough sections of Baltimore where life can seem fleeting and hopeless, made the 270-mile journey here last weekend to learn about another kind of future.
"They say a black person is only as far as he goes," said Jovon Howard, 16. "I want to get into different surroundings."
Over the course of last weekend, Jovon would find himself on the very stage once dominated by Samuel L. Jackson and Charles S. Dutton, the Yale Repertory Theater. He'd tackle a range of activities, from touring a helicopter factory to finding out what it takes to get accepted to Yale. He'd lounge in a hotel swimming pool and ride a tour bus through New Haven's historic neighborhoods.
The trip to Connecticut was part of a program called "Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood," an effort to expose young Baltimore-area men to male role models and new experiences while helping them connect with their peers. Although it has been around for 12 years and served more than 8,000 boys, it exists solely because its organizer, Cameron Miles, is willing to beg for donations and go into his own pocket to help finance excursions.
He also seems to know all the right people. At the group's monthly meetings at Coppin State University, Miles presents a parade of important guests: Judge Robert M. Bell, chief of the Maryland Court of Appeals; television reporter Barry Simms; Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. Miles bumped into city Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III at a restaurant a few months ago and invited him to the April meeting.
"Frankly, I was blown away," Bealefeld said, "not just by his commitment, but by the manner in which he engaged the young men and by the substance of his message."
From all over
The boys, ages 7 to 17, are from across Baltimore. A few come from nearby counties. Some are referred by juvenile judges or police officers. A half-dozen live in residential foster care. Most come to the program through word of mouth. Risa Gill, a single parent of an 11-year-old boy, heard Miles on the radio and then saw him speak at Morgan State University. "I wanted my son to be around male mentors," she said.
