Since its inception in 2002, our Pelican State Youth Movement mission has always prioritized the need to better preparing our youth for the challenges they will face throughout their everyday lives. But, we realized from the start, that if we were to truly capture the attention and cooperation of our youth for participation, it would be imperative to incorporate activities that are most popular and of high interest to them. Activities involving fun sports, performing arts, and or video gaming and social media platforms. Once we have successfully enticed their interest, we utilize it as the bait for enabling us to optimize our opportunities for inspiring, motivating and encouraging them to seek to achieve their highest potential. This is possible by way of the loyal and committed staff and volunteers, who are dedicated to making every interaction count. Giving each participant our attention, our ears and our genuine love. Ultimately, helping them to realize that they are sincerely valued, and reassure them that we truly care about their personal well-being and life accomplishments.
Over the past two decades, PSYM has engaged youth living throughout Morehouse parish communities by offering them comprehensive programming consisting of a mix of sports, academic, and personal life-skills development training activities. The primary PSYM program component used to entice and retain consistent youth participation over the years, has been our annual multi-sports camp held each summer. Granting thousands of participants opportunities to become introduced to and receive fundamentals training in “non-traditional” sports such as Golf, Soccer, Tennis, and Volleyball to name a few. Sports that they very likely would never become exposed to otherwise. Unfortunately, missing out on opportunities for realizing and using their gifts that could potentially lead to future collegiate scholarship offers. Most importantly, however, campers are also required to attend classroom Life-Skills training and Alternative Sports Careers lecture sessions daily. They are addressed daily by various prominent speakers who are Morehouse Parish natives who grew up within our communities, and are now local community and business leaders, or successful career professionals. Speakers not only provide valuable insight into their upbringing within the region and how they prepared themselves academically, but they also share key pointers referencing their experiences which lead them to their careers. Hopefully alerting them to the realization and vital importance of being viewed as good and productive youth and future leaders. While also inspiring and encouraging them to stay in school and striving for high academic achievement. Becoming well-aware of the rewards linked to a good education. Moving them to give thought to what career that they would like to pursue, as well as began setting achievable goals for making it become a reality.
Unfortunately, however, our camp was only conducted once a year for only 2 to 3 days in most instances. Leaving us very limited time each camp for addressing the many problem areas that are determined to be most detrimental to the development and enrichment of our youth. Touching on key areas such as personal behavior (shyness and self-esteem), health (dental and general hygiene) and social safety (drug and gang prevention) issues. All, of which, allows us to accomplish our mission for assisting our area youth to become “complete-students and athletes.
Video of our 2022 Multi-Sports Camp.
PSYM Community Action Team Program
(C.A.T.) has joined in to assist with the annual Keep Morehouse Beautiful (KMB) campaign in conjunction with the national Great American Clean campaign. Our PSYM youth and volunteers, has contributed towards enhancing the beautification of our communities. Our CAT group has also taken initiatives in other instances to paint painted local playgrounds equipment at area elementary schools. We remain committed to conducting more cleanup outreach efforts in the future. Including establishing and maintaining flower beds along the main thoroughfares in several communities in throughout Morehouse Parish, while also assisting with gardening projects at the local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and rehabilitation centers etc. Teaching our PYSM youth the importance and rewards of giving back for the betterment of assisting other, while also gaining self-gratification.
PSYM After School Program
PSYM has partnered with area schools, businesses, churches, and other local and state organizations, to provide supplies and materials needed to operate after-school programs. Additionally, PSYM is looking forward to collaborating with other existing and future programs, such as the new Boys & Girls Club, for bridging the gap by providing expanded “after-school and weekend” services and activities to area unserved and underserved youth. Through such efforts, PSYM hopes to vastly improve the performance of our youth testing performances on various state administered standardized tests. PSYM has also provided will continue to provide merit scholarships to high school seniors who qualify meet our minimum GPA earned criteria and seek to enroll in a post-secondary educational school institution.
This program was designed for the purpose of addressing the many issues and concerns faced by our young PSYM female members. Helping them to realize that they are just as important as their counterparts (young men) in all facets of their development, whether it’s social, educational, spiritual, etc. The goals of G.I.R.L. entails the following: 1) raising the self-esteem and self-confidence of our young ladies. Helping them realize they are truly valued as beautiful, intelligent, and powerful queens of our society, as well as our future leaders. 2) Understand “choices vs consequences”. Teach them why every choice that they make will have consequences that will profoundly affect their lives both short and long-term. 3) Bring awareness to issues facing our young adolescent ladies and to give them a forum to voice their social or personal concerns in a group setting and or one-on-one with mentor. 4) Challenge and encourage them to value themselves, develop strong moral values including self-confidence, self-control, and courage to command respect from the boys and young men in their lives. Thus ultimately assisting in the development of more respectful and responsible behavior in our young men.
Please join us in helping all our youth members by donating and volunteering. Thank you in advance for your help support and thanks again for taking time to visit our site.