Given today's incidence of incarcerated, unemployed, disconnected men; I have never been more convinced that our work is more crucial now than at the on set. Each Empowerment Summit in its respective borough has increased in attendance. Our flagship location, Harlem, tallies the largest Summit attendance and to date our only Job Fair location. It maintains its popularity despite our expanding to other boroughs. Men are hungry for solid information and tools to combat their circumstance. Our intervention is beneficial to all Men on either side of the mainstream. Societal efforts have proven less than effective in demonstrating measurable results for men working to jump start their lives or those men desirous of maximizing their level of accomplishment. We intend to continue to address the plight of men in our cities.

The work projected for 2009 will require that we increase our MASTER CLASS sites to two residential programs for the winter semester/ September 2009. More over we will expand with an Empowerment Summit in the Borough of Queens and also feature an additional Job Fair in the Bronx. As customary for our Summit events any attendee affiliated with a treatment program is afforded admission at no cost. Job Fairs are open to the general public. MASTER CLASS is exclusively for the Men who reside in the specific residential center. At this pace without question by 2010, expanding one borough per year, 500 MEN will be city-wide. By 2014 tri-state.

The 500 MEN Organization is partnering with Project Create Residential Drug Treatment Center and the Union Settlement Association both in New York. Project Create provides residential services to male clients faced with substance abuse, and homeless. Union Settlement provides adult education instruction materials and expertise. The result of the partnership has provided men with an opportunity to obtain academic and social competence to compete and succeed in the employment marketplace.

MASTER CLASS is a coordinated professionally taught series of classes designed to provide Men with an up close and personal exposure to the information and academics needed to compete. The classes offer competency-based instruction within residential settings of programs that address homelessness, substance abuse, and employment issues.

The MASTER CLASSES are not open to the general public. It is afforded to individuals as per agreement between 500 Men and cooperating non-profit organizations.

MASTER CLASS will run for a fifteen-week instructional period at an instructor to participant ratio of 15:1. It is geared for the troubled male who with support, structured learning and a supportive residential environment can regenerate the confidence and competence to again recapture achievement and commitment to strive.

The instruction will provide employment adaptation, independent living skills, and training in personal/relationship management. The focus will be to implement a series of connected education, training strategies and support services that will enable individuals to secure employment.

Program success will be measured by comparing the participant baseline competency measures with the measures received at the end of the instructional cycle. Improved competence and personal confidence as reported by the participants are indicators of program personal impact.

500 MEN will track participants who enter various occupational sectors to track advancement, higher levels of education and/or vocational training.

• promote a program that helps adults get the basic skills they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens.


• instruct the following major areas; Adult Basic Education (literacy and basic skills), Adult Secondary Education (obtain secondary school education), and English Language Acquisition (English).


• emphasize basic skills such as reading, writing, math, English language competency, and problem solving.


• provide a comprehensive approach to instruction ensuring that the participants are competent in the literacy skills needed to re-enter the ranks of the employable.