For Release: May 14, 2007
Renee features a mentoring and tutoring program organized by a Lexington church on the next edition of Connections with Renee Shaw , airing Saturday, June 2 at 3/2 p.m. CT on KET1 and Sunday, June 10 at 11:30/10:30 a.m. CT on KET2.Launched by Lexington's First Baptist Church Bracktown in conjunction with Leestown Middle School, Future Black Males Working Academy is the brainchild of Roszalyn Akins, a 20-year educator, and her pastor hu sband, the Rev. Dr. C.B. Akins, who appear as Renee's guests. Also appearing on the program is Roger Cleveland, an education professor at Morehead State University and expert in cultural influences on learning.
The program, nicknamed "BMW," offers African American boys extra academic attention from local educators and community volunteers. Its goal is to narrow the achievement gap and place the emphasis in their lives on personal responsibility and studies, rather than sports. Organizers say that in just the first few months, more participants were out of the principals' office and on the honor roll.
Initially, Akins had to convince parents to enroll their boys; the program now has a waiting list. Georgetown College and Murray State University are two of several institutions offering scholarships to the program's graduates.
Connections with Renee Shaw is a KET production, produced by Renee Shaw and Carolyn Gwinn. More about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.