-Man Up

“MAN UP!”

by Kelvin B. , Raheilio L., and Deron J.

Thirteen hundred students. Twenty neighborhoods. Nine colorful schools. Five age groups. One idea.... MAN UP!

“Man Up,” a conference for “males only,” took place at U.V.I. ‘s Sports and Fitness Center on February 8, 2011. Dr. David Hall, the president of U.V.I., hosted this event.

Sponsored by the Youth Enrichment Initiative and the V.I. Lottery, the conference was arranged to inform young men of their responsibilities for their current and future lives.

“If you can’t change the people around you, then change the people around you!” said Dr. Farrah Gray, the keynote speaker of this event. What Dr. Gray meant by this statement is that you should find a new set of friends if you can’t change the negative attitudes of the friends around you.

He walked the males through his journey in becoming a millionaire. As a boy, Farrah’s mother was having health and financial issues, and all he wanted to do was bring money to the table. First he found some stones lying about his home town, and as a young entrepreneur, an idea came to mind. He would paint these stones and sell them to people, and later on, this business became a success.

Soon after, he came up with the ideas of selling flavored syrups which also became a huge success. With his teenage friends, he created a business club, and through luck and years of hard work, his businesses boomed, and he became a millionaire.

During his session, Dr. Gray, who now owns a publishing company, gave out free copies of books he wrote, to open the young minds in his audience.http://www.drfarrahgray.com/

Schools participating in this event including I.E.K.H.S, B.C.B, Cancryn, C.A.H.S., All Saints, St's. Peter and Paul, and Julius E. Sprauve School. Students presented themselves in proper attire and were well behaved, paying attention to what presenters had to say.

For many students, the high point of the day consisted of a music session from Rock City, a world music group that produced entertainment. They also talked about their lives and their struggle, climbing the ladder of fame. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSjtqNfmR5Q

Students also got the opportunity to participate in three Q&A sessions. “Even though the V.I. has reached its critical state, the people still show they can change the island in their favor. “We, the people, want to end the reign of gang violence, drug abuse and negative activities,” said a junior from Kean High.

“I liked the life stories,” said Mr. Colin Hanley, a drafting teacher at Kean High.