Halifax’s 902 ManUp mentoring North End youth through community initiatives

A Sunday family fun day is the latest in a growing list of events hosted by 902 ManUp — all of them aimed at highlighting the positive aspects of Halifax’s North End.

The group was born out of the rash of gun violence that hit Halifax last year. Its goal is to support area youth and highlight the good that comes out of their community, 902 ManUp’s president, Marcus James, said Saturday.

“There’s a lot of negativity that’s constantly reported about North End Halifax… whether that be crime or violence, and we just figured, ‘You know what? There’s a role for us to play,” James said.

“It’s bringing the goodness out of our communities and uniting communities across HRM,” said James, who lives and works in the area.

The group has over one hundred members, all of them African Nova Scotian men from all walks of life. They include educators, lawyers and doctors, James said.

The organization raises funds to pay for all of the events that they organize and host. In the last year, that included giving away school bags to students, a Kwanzaa celebration, and helping to bring American basketball coach and education activist Ken Carter to speak in Halifax during African Heritage Month.

This fall, 902 ManUp will also launch a scholarship program at Saint Mary’s University.

James said the group wants to connect with youth in particular.

“We have a lot of talented young people in our community,” he said. “We just want them to know that we are here to support them as a group, and when in need, they can reach out to us — we want to reach out to them.”

“We have to understand that as older, mature black men, there’s a role for us to play.”

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Sunday event open to all

The Sunday event will feature a free barbecue, a bouncy castle and face painting for kids, and an obstacle course hosted by Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency.

James said the theme of event is to “save lives rather than take lives.” He said the presence of Halifax fire crews is to introduce young people to the opportunities ahead of them.

“This is community, supporting community — that’s one of the things that we pride ourselves on; that’s who we are,” James said. “It’s going to be a fantastic time, so I encourage everybody to come out for it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is community, supporting community — that's one of the things that we pride ourselves on; that's who we are," James said. "It's going to be a fantastic time, so I encourage everybody to come out for it."

The Family Fun Day starts at 2 p.m. at the Halifax Oval and runs until 6 p.m.

‘Celebrate the good’

District 8 Councillor Lindell Smith will speak at the Sunday event.

He said gun violence in the North End and the negativity around such incidents has been “more prevalent” in the last few years and events like the one on Sunday ensure the community doesn’t only “come together when something negative happens.”

He said 902 ManUp is filling a gap in support that some young people face, whether in school or elsewhere in their lives.

“It’s frustrating to know that we have young people who are in a place in life where they see violence as a way of dealing with their issues,” Smith said.