This past Thursday, the Chicago Kappa League Institute's Director and National Guide Right Commission Vice Chairman Rodney Gore was interviewed by ABC News 7 discussing the success of elevating their Kappa Leaguers into College Ready Leaders.

On Thursday, February 23rd the Richardson Plano Kappa Leaguers were interview on the internet radio show "On the Level With Billy Fields" Listen to the podcast here and the view the post radio show!

Check out the Post Show on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w7RfzYslVxk#!

Young men of color face a problem of perception. Underwhelming test scores, lower than average grades, poor college matriculation rates…society has buried our future generations under a mountain of low expectations.As a result, Kappa Alpha Psi is launching a new national program aimed at providing support and assistance to young men. The “Diamonds in the Rough” program will seek to undertake a number of methods to address some of the trends that have historically chal-lenged the success of young men of color.

“This is a multi-pronged initiative that is geared to generating mentors for high school students to help these young people improve their grades and test results,” said Grand Polemarch Wil-liam “Randy” Bates Jr.

“Beyond that, we want to develop the resources to assist young people to a greater degree in their quest for col-lege admissions and ἀnancial aid,” the Grand Polemarch said. “What’s more, our goal is to locate $1 million to pro-vide scholarships to deserving students. It’s a large goal, but we have successfully taken on other hefty projects in the history of our fraternity.”The program represents the vision of the Grand Polemarch, whose administra-tion is stressing the need to develop the academic performance and admission and ἀnancial prospects of young men, beginning as early as junior high school. In addition, the administration is also seeking to expand leadership training for undergraduate members of the fraternity, speciἀcally through Kappa’s Undergraduate Leadership Institute.

The centerpiece, however, is the “Diamonds in the Rough” program, which follows a two-pronged approach to change many of the trends that have beset achievement on the part of young men of color. Achievement becomes the loupe through which we may uncover the value of these hidden gems.

An important part of empowering the young men is providing access to educational opportunity. The fraternity, under the auspices of Guide Right chairman and vice chairman, L-mani S. Viney and Carl Cunningham, respectively, has finalized a deal to offer comprehensive standardized testing support as well as other professional development tools via an online portal.

Kappa Leaguers will have access to state of the art tools as they prepare for SAT and ACT examinations. Additionally, the program will offer tutorial exercises in resumé building, college entrance essays and more.

Further, the committee is in the initial phases of assembling a database of Kappa professionals in admissions and ἀnancial aid departments at colleges across the country. The goal is to build a network of contacts for Kappa Leaguers as they com-plete and submit their applications.Of course, getting into college is only the ἀrst step; tuition is another matter. To that end, the fraternity is aggregating volumes of scholarship information to be made available to leaguers via an online database. Applicants will be able to search based on various criteria, including family income, academic performance, geographic preference and area of study, among others.

Combined with the testing prep, application tips and admission contacts, “Diamonds in the Rough” provides a wide-ranging suite of powerful tools to set our Kappa Leaguers on the course for success.The second prong of the program relates to altering the communal percep-tion of young men of color. “Diamonds in the Rough” will spotlight the academic and social achievements of the participants, thereby expanding the vision of what is expected of them.

“I’ve always been a big picture guy,” Brother Viney said. “My inclination is to swing for the fences. ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ is designed to fundamentally change how society sees these young men and how they see themselves.”That’s an essential component to broadening their horizons about what the leaguers can achieve in later life.

Since he entered his teens, Jaylin J. Mc-Connaughey has been an active par-ticipant in the Kappa League program run by the New Brunswick Alumni Chapter in New Jersey. He has been involved in the group’s regular meetings, which has allowed the chapter’s brothers to help him prepare for standardized tests, teach him to make spellbinding oral presentations, and train him in the ἀner points of leadership.

A year ago, however, Jaylin’s mother had to relocate to the suburbs of Atlanta. The move forced the high schooler to look at life without the Kappa League program that had been so much a part of his development. But Jaylin’s mother would have none of it. She decided that her son had beneἀtted so deeply from his participation in the program that he needed to continue to be involved.

So, at least once a month, Jaylin Ḁies from Atlanta to New Jersey to attend Kappa League meetings and activities. “I didn’t grow up with a father, and my mom ἀgured that she really couldn’t teach me how to be a man,” Jaylin said. “These brothers of Kappa are kind of my fathers. They taught me everything from how to tie a tie to how to make effective 30-second presentations to interviewers.”

Jaylin’s experience — and the unusual lengths and distance he undertakes in order to participate in the New Brunswick Kappa League program — is a symbol of how the fraternity is shaping the lives of young men around the country.

For the last decade, the New Brunswick Alumni Chapter has run a Kappa League pro-gram whose impact on young men has been profound and considerable. The program started with about a dozen junior high school-aged young men. Today, there are more than 50 students in more than 20 schools.

“Now we have a full agenda of activities for our Kappa Leaguers,” said Alex Gray, the director of New Brunswick’s Kappa League program. “We have leadership training, pro-grams that help with academic preparedness, college preparation and so much more.”Brother Gray recently earned his doctor-ate in educational leadership from Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. His dissertation was a study of the impact of the New Brun-swick Kappa League program on preparing its participants for college.

His study determined that the chapter did a better job in preparing the Kappa League students for college and academic support than their respective high school guidance counselors and other support personnel. “We have a level of contact with them, a relationship that fosters a lot of trust. We get to know them well, and there is mutual respect and trust.”The chapter was recognized by win-ning the Jay Crosby Award for the best Kappa League program in the Northeastern Province, as well as the same award at the Centennial conclave in Indianapolis.

Jaylin’s mother, Tamika McCon-naughey, said that, with her son’s father and grandfather not living in close proximity to the teenager “the New Brunswick Alumni men quickly ἀlled those shoes and I am forever indebted to them.“ She added: “The gentlemen have hectic schedules of their own with their wives, children, jobs, etc. However they still carve out time for the young men and Kappa League. They do it with such style and grace.”

Larnie Booker, the chapter’s pole-march, said that he views the Kappa League program as New Brunswick Alumni’s most signiἀcant endeavor. “On our web site, we say that we’re committed to saving young black males and protect-ing our future,” Brother Booker said. “And we feel that people should hold us accountable for what we say. We won’t do parties much because it’s not our strength. But we do work hard with young men in the com-munity. That’s our strength.”