The African American Leadership Institute will host the 14th annual Expanding The Visions conference for African-American males on Saturday, March 15 at Montbello High School. The conference will run from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The conference is designed for parents, teachers, counselors and community members and will focus on issues affecting the lives of young African-American men. The conference will include advice and suggestions to educators and adults on how to identify and address issues and concerns relating to young men, how to identify resources and services in the community, how to support and encourage youth to make thoughtful, smart decisions and how to help them make long-term plans for their futures.

The conference will include three presentations designed to provide practical tools and resources that can be utilized in the home, school and work environments. They are:

• Dr. Oscar Joseph, an assistant professor in the University of Colorado at Denver School of Education and organizer of the “The Denver Dozen,” a four-year investigation of three DPS schools. The investigation is geared to boost parental involvement and increase student achievement. “The Denver Dozen” seeks to set higher expectations for students and encourage them to tackle advanced classes.
• Dr. Barbara Batey and Dr. Sam Batey, who will discuss “The Resiliency of the Black Male.” The pair conducted research on inner city African American males and found that the protective factors - those conditions that foster resiliency in African American males despite the negative odds they face - were distinct. Dr. Barbara Batey has over 30 years of experience with DPS as a middle school principal, assistant principal and teacher. She’s also worked as a visiting scholar with Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Dr. Sam Batey is a regional manager with the Colorado Department of Education, providing technical assistance and resources to school districts in Colorado. He has 28 years of experience in publication education, having been a DPS central administrator, high school principal and teacher.
• Dr. Anthony Young, a psychologist, and Dr. Carnita Groves, president, Rocky Mountain Association of Black Psychologists, who will discuss the emotional and mental health of African-American boys. Dr. Young has worked primarily in the fields of mental health and criminal justice. He serves as an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs; is a staff psychologist at the Institute of Forensic Psychiatry at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo; and as a psychological consultant for the Fourth Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs.

To register for the conference, access www.aali-rockymtn.org or call 303-299-9055.

For further information, contact Leslie L. Juniel at 303-299-9055.

Montbello High School is located at 5000 Crown Blvd. The school telephone number is 303-375-5700.