December 2019 was filled with fun learning activities for the Institute of Hope: Young Men Of Hope (YMOH.)
One of the objectives of the YMOH Student Development Program is to provide opportunities to stimulate career choices with a focus on the value of learning and earning.
The Colleton County Middle School Young Men of HOPE was provided the opportunity at no cost to visit various venues to view and participate in hands-on-activities that showcased various careers.
The CCMS eighth-grade YMOH visited Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College where they were given a tour of the school. They visited laboratories and spoke with the professors in the areas of early college, computer programming, criminal justice, industrial electronic tech, automotive, machine tool technology and business.
The CCMS seventh-grade YMOH visited the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston. The young men took an educational journey through South Carolina’s diverse habitats where they were able to see the connection of their STEM program at CCMS. Several of the YMOH expressed an interest in becoming veterinarians after visiting the Sea Turtle Care Center.
One of the highlights of the visit was to participate in a learning station that featured conversation with the diver as he fed the fish.
The CCMS sixth-grade YMOH visited Thunderbolt Career and Technology Center and the Colleton Career Skills Center. Director William Hayden scheduled a tour that included masonry, agriculture, auto tech, culinary arts, early childhood, mechanical design, building construction, pre-engineering, machine tool and CDL truck driving training. One of the highlights of the visit was sampling the food being prepared by Chef Williams’ students in the culinary arts program.
A part of the Institute of Hope for Excellency, the Young Men of Hope is directed by Dr. Queenie L. Crawford. Assisting with student development activities is Cornelius Hamilton of South Carolina State University Extension program. The Young Men of Hope Program begins with recommended students from fifth grade. Consequently, those students are followed through twelfth grade.
Presently, the program serves 210 young men.
