Be the Best

Be The BEST Male Institute:  An 8-week summer camp for boys and young men ages 12 to 17
 
Be The BEST is a camp dedicated to the development of life skills and positive pathways to manhood for boys and young men throughout New Orleans.  

Co-sponsored by the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation and Healthy Babies/Healthy Dads Fatherhood Program, camp programming includes classroom activity, group discussions, and open talks from male community leaders.

A special feature of the Be the BEST program is the shared experiences of men who’ve come from less-than-ideal circumstances to become successful in business, government, or the arts.  Additionally, campers experience positive male role models in the police officers who are on hand daily to work one-on-one with campers.
  
The Be the BEST Camp is staffed by a principal, certified teachers, camp assistants, social workers and New Orleans Police Officers.

The age-appropriate class curriculum includes:
Math, reading and science for younger boys;
Life skills for all ages, including:
    Male responsibilities to self, family and society;
    Principles of health and well-being;
    Principles of social interaction, such as trust, respect, and responsibility;
    Parenting, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills;
Employment-related curriculum for teens, including:
    How to search and apply for a job;
    How to prepare a résumé and conduct oneself in an interview; and
    Core job-related skills needed in virtually any work setting.

The camp runs for eight weeks each summer.

View event images