For the past 25 years, Brown has worked with youth in urban settings and in prison through his Amer-I-Can program. Founded in 1988, the Amer-I-Can program is used extensively with gang-involved youth in inner city Los Angeles and Cleveland. The program has been successful in improving the quality of its participants’ lives through a self-management skills system which focuses on academics, behavior and self-determination.
“Having the great Jim Brown share his Amer-I-Can program here in Visalia is an extraordinary opportunity for Central Valley educators,” said Adam Valencia, program director for the Tulare County Office of Education’s Choices Prevention Programs. “Together, school districts, public agencies and faith-based partners throughout the region have the opportunity to learn from his successes and build ways to work together and focus on developing the ‘whole’ child.”
The CHOICES Prevention Program leads the Region VII K-8 Student Mental Health Initiative (SMHI) for the counties of Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa and Merced. SMHI is a statewide framework of prevention and early intervention strategies for student mental health. One of the initiative’s priorities is to identify programs effective in promoting healthy student mental health and to share them throughout the region.
Tickets may be purchased at the Visalia Fox Theatre for $20 per person. Tickets for groups of 10 are available for only $100. For tickets, visit www.foxvisalia.org or call 625-1369. For additional information, call Adam Valencia at Choices Prevention Programs at 651-0155.