The Emmaus Men Mentoring Program is a part of the ministry of Emmaus, a mission congregation of the NC Synod. The program was designed to address the unique needs of African American boys in the West Charlotte Community.

Thanks to a Peeler/Casey grant, Emmaus Men Mentoring hosted a community learning day at the Levine Museum of the New South where the mentors, mentees, and families shared a meal and explored the Know Justice, Know Peace exhibit on police brutality. This event provided both the young men and mentors with fact, statistics, and photographs on police brutality and criminal justice in America. The exhibit inspired heart-wrenching conversations around injustice in America and the museum visit created a safe place for families to explore the history and reality of riots, brutality, excessive force, and gun violence at large. Mentors, mentees, and families cried, discussed, and encouraged one another in a beautiful display of community.

Eighteen young men officially registered for the Emmaus Men Mentoring Program and our community programming engaged 23 young men in 2017-2018 overall. Emmaus Men Mentoring set out to achieve five major goals:

• Support for students in their respective schools
• Expose students to cultural and social enrichment
• Build strong relationships with male role models
• Support students in development of critical life skills
• Support students in developing an empowered self-image

The Peeler/Casey-funded Day at the Museum event provided social and cultural enrichment to the Emmaus mentoring community.