CLEVELAND — Hundreds of young men from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District gathered downtown at the Cleveland Public Library on Tuesday to participate in the daylong event "Man Up Cleveland," where they learned about topics from entrepreneurship to technology to social and emotional learning and more.
The event, hosted by the library, was designed to empower male students and keep them engaged, according to Erica Marks, senior director of outreach and programming for Cleveland Public Library.
"When we created this program, the thought in mind was to create leaders and readers. These are soft life skills," Marks said. "Not every breakout session will touch each student, but everybody will walk away learning something, something that they can take with them, and it'll be with them for the rest of their lives."
Students 3News spoke with shared their biggest takeaways from the day. Fifth grader Kilan Gandarilla said the discussion about money management was the most valuable topic to him, while classmate Tailynn Reeves told us he enjoyed the design session most, as it aligned with his interests.
Marks says one of the most popular sessions was about gaming and e-sports. On Saturday, the library will be launching Studio 525, a place with a focus on learning about technology. There will be a video-gaming tournament Saturday, with the winner taking home a prize.
Edward "DJ Phatty" Banks led the session on social and emotional learning, speaking with students about mental health, responsible decision making, and relationship skills.
"Some of the questions [that were] asked [were], "Why are so many youth and Black and brown communities having bad days?'" Banks recounted. "Then we touch on gun violence and why so many confrontations escalate into violence."
The programming also served as a reminder of the role the library can play in the community.
"Outside of main library, the library has 27 branch locations, and so we see what our students are dealing with, we see what they go through, and we want to be a safe place," Marks said. "The library is a safe place, and not just a safe place away from violence, but a place where they can be themselves."
Marks adds there will be an all-girl empowerment event coming up in April.