3 NBA stars will discuss teen violence Monday, September 11, 2006
Three professional basketball players will attend a youth program this week to talk about issues faced by young people, especially African-American boys.
Pastor Eric Jones of the Koinonia Worship Center & Village in Pembroke Park will kick off the youth program Tuesday. The session will feature Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem, James Jones of the Phoenix Suns, and Keyon Dooling of the Orlando Magic.
Children, teens and adults will be divided into age groups to discuss violence and other problems facing young people at the seminar entitled "Raising Up Joshua."
On Tuesday, participants in the seminar will discuss the pressures young people face daily, the Rev. Jones said. The seminar comes on the heels of a spate of teen killings in South Florida this year, including 11 in Broward County.
"As a church we do a lot of things, but we are not effectively touching what's going on in the world around us," Jones said.
The project is based on the biblical account of Joshua, and how he was reared to lead the Israelites after Moses died.
"It's not so much a conference as it is a dialoguing session," Jones said. "We don't want them to tell us what the problem is. We already know what that is. What we want to know from them is what do they think the solution is?"
Jones said he expects a full house at his Pembroke Park church. He plans to host a series of similar conferences in the future.
"We know it's not optional, it's imperative. We can't just sit back and let it happen." Jones said.
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 6:27 AM,
