A Life Skills Academy was held at Mississippi State University
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated Delta Upsilon Sigma Starkville Graduate Chapter held an event to teach young men life skills.
At the Academy, station leaders informed attendees about the importance of interviewing tips, College Preparation, Business and financial management, and much more.
Participants were also educated on the importance of having good hygiene, etiquette, and oral communication skills.
The Widow of one of the founders of the Life Skills Academy, Maggie Cooks, said the goal is to give back to the community and to help the younger generation.
“His whole goal for starting this was to help, he said, if he only helped one young man, he would feel like he accomplished something,” said Cooks. “So much violence is going on with teenagers locally, and that is what he was trying to do, just help one person. I think that it is a life skill lesson for a lot of them because they do not get the opportunity to do stuff like this, and this is one thing that we have. The sigma men are going to teach them, and they are going to teach them the right thing to do, so it is going to go far in life for them.”
“We are trying to teach them life skills that they can always rely on,” said Eddie Myles, Life Skills Academy Organizer. “I am living in this community, and I do not want to be that guy that these kids hit in the head and rob, so I am going to invest in these kids. I am going to make sure that I get the word out about how they need to act. I think by them coming to things like this right here, even if they do not want to, maybe the good lord above can pierce their heart, and now we have a kid that has been saved from the streets. ”
“They are teaching us about bullying and stuff like that too, and stuff you should and should not do,” said Kingston Mayes, Academy Attendee. “That stuff will really help us as we get older. When we start driving, we will probably get jobs, so we will know how to stretch our money, and we will know how to pay for this and that.”
The Boys to men life skills academy was held at the Shira Fieldhouse at MSU, and it was for young men ages ten to eighteen. Organizers also said they are planning to add more to next year’s event.
