76 Berkner High school Boys Complete manKINDness Project® Curriculum

Coach Ledford reinforcing the mankindness project  curriculum’s message to berkner high school athletes.

Coach Ledford reinforcing the mankindness project  curriculum’s message to berkner high school athletes.

Following the successful pilot of the MAG manKINDness Project® high school curriculum in late 2016, the program was slated to “go live” this spring during North Texas football teams’ spring practices. Richardson Independent School District Athletic Director Leslie Slovak, who oversees all sports programs across Richardson’s four high schools, had another idea. Now! The district’s four head football agreed and on January 25th Berkner became the program’s first school of the year. Remaining RISD high schools join Berkner in early February. 

76 boys, administrators, and coaches from various sports came together for the manKINDness Project® curriculum experience conducted by Jeoff Williams (MAG ’15) and Bill Morse (MAG ’15) on January 25. The boys were exceptionally participative during candid dialogue about how the power of their words and thoughts influence their actions.  In addition, Jeoff and Bill teamed up to demonstrate the ties between respect for women and girls and the socialization of human trafficking and exploitation. Finally, the boys themselves identified solutions they could apply in their own school and community that would demonstrate positive, healthy attitudes toward girls and themselves. The boys even practiced expressing positive, nonsexual comments to girls.

According to Head Football Coach Jim Ledford, the "response has been exceptionally positive and very thoughtful.  Just placing that thought in their mind as to how words positively or negatively impact a person’s self-worth is very powerful.”