WHAT IS F.A.Y.E.S ?

Mission Statement

FAYES is a non-profit organization designed to assist families and the community in the personal, academic, and cultural development of young people.

Vision Statement

Our vision is of a global village in which young people, families, educators and all members of  community cooperate to forward the causes of its youth and of one another.

Value Statement

Our values draw from a traditional West African communal mindset, in which the fortunes of all people, young and old, depend on collective effort and shared interest. No one is independent of the other, and each individual is responsible for the success and growth of the community as a whole.

History and Purpose

FAYES was established in 2003 by Dr. Selina Ahoklui, lifelong educator and youth advocate. Dr. SelinaAhoklui dedicated her life to education, and spent the majority of her career teaching at schools in NewYork City, working at P.S. 258 in Bedford Stuyvesant in the 1980s and at Erasmus Hall High School in the1990s-2000s, most notably resulting in her selection as the 1998 New York State Teacher of the Year.

As a teacher at what were considered “high-risk” schools, attended by students from what werereferred to as “high-risk” neighborhoods, Dr. Ahoklui was aware of the many challenges that herstudents faced both inside and outside of the classroom. Despite the general perception of thesestudents as poor performers, Dr. Ahoklui was convinced that it was her obligation to provide herchildren with not only a quality education, but also to provide them with opportunities that they mightnot be able to visualize under their existing circumstances.

Dr. Ahoklui was aware of the obstacles that her students faced, and she was also aware of the fact that her students’ most challenging obstacles existed outside of the classroom. Many did not have money for school supplies, others had to take care of siblings before they could attend class, and most lived in neighborhoods where young people felt pressure to engage in illegal activity just to avoid being classified as potential victims.

In an attempt to address many of these issues, Dr. Ahoklui developed a number of afterschool programs designed not only to allow students to improve their academic skills, but also to provide them with a safe space that fostered productivity and development. Regardless of the child’s academic record, disciplinary history, or perceived aptitude, Dr. Ahoklui welcomed all young visitors to her classroom. She made sure that students were engaged in academic or extracurricular activity, provided with necessary resources and supplies, and even fed if they were hungry.

Dr. Ahoklui spent countless hours at school, and her daughter, Dorothy Ahoklui, who inherited her mother’s passion for helping children, soon joined her as a teacher at Erasmus Hall High School. The many programs which they implemented helped usher a number of students through the school system, and into higher education. The growing network of administrators, teachers, students and alumni who all invested time and energy into the advancement of these students formed the backbone of what eventually would grow into the Family and Youth Empowerment Services organization.

Traditional Ideology

Before Dr. Ahoklui was a teacher, mother, artist, or youth advocate, Dr. Ahoklui was a proud West African woman. Born in the Volta Region of Ghana, Dr. Ahoklui was raised by her mother, aunts, grandaunts, uncles, granduncles, as well as numerous teachers, mentors and other benefactors. She understood that her success was the result not only of her own ambition, but of the commitment from so many people who took an interest in her future. And while she was forever grateful to them for their contributions, any attempts to show gratitude were usually met with not much more than smiles and nods. It was expected of adults in her community to correct, guide and support the youth with whatever resources were available, and as long as a child had something positive in mind, it was everyone’s responsibility to support them.

While a popular cliché to many, Dr. Ahoklui drew from her own personal history when saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” She understood its meaning literally, having been raised under this tenet, and having benefitted directly from communal goodwill and responsibility. The nature of her upbringing convinced her that much of the most relevant educating took place outside of classroom, and that to task one person with the education of the community’s children was shortsighted, if not negligent.

It was this ideology that led Dr. Ahoklui to believe that her own West African sensibilities of community would benefit not only her students, but also her fellow teachers, parents and members of the community. She thought that the adoption of a “village mentality” might better allow for the development of a healthier environment, where students could receive the support and motivation that they needed to succeed.

Dr. Ahoklui made a conscious effort not only to introduce the teachings of her West African childhood, but also to re-create the elements of the West African environment in which she grew up for her students. Whether at P.S. 258 or at Erasmus Hall High School, Dr. Ahoklui’s classrooms often buzzed in anticipation of what African ensemble, jewelry and headwrap she would wear for class that day. Her students were accustomed to hearing Ewe, Twi, Ga or Hausa being spoken in her classroom, and African artwork decorated the walls of any space in which she regularly worked. Sharing her pride in her culture opened the door for her to share its lessons as well.

As a lifelong educator, Dr. Ahoklui believed that education did not only belong to the students enrolled, but to all people who stood to benefit from its lessons, whether inside or outside of the classroom. If everyone stood to benefit from learning, then why should its gift only belong to the children of the community? Its reach needed to extend beyond the student body, beyond the walls of the institution itself, toward even the farthest reaches of the community.

With this in mind, Dr. Ahoklui educated students of all ages, spending her weekends teaching at community centers, museums, libraries, art studios, lecture halls and in her own dining room, welcoming as many people as she could. Whenever her students walked into her classroom, her first words were always either “Akwaaba” or “Mia Woezor,” both Ghanaian greetings translated to mean “You are welcome.”

What We Do

Educational Initiative

One of FAYES initial programs was its peer tutoring program, by which students could tutor other students. Designation as a senior member of FAYES required students to be able to assist other students both inside and outside of the classroom under the instruction of the program’s administrators.

The education initiative originally focused on providing basic reading skills to those students with what were deemed to be below-average reading skills. Despite the fact that Dr. Ahoklui taught math and science, she was concerned about the number of students who stepped into her classes or afterschool programs without basic reading skills. Dr. Ahoklui realized that there were too many children who were not even properly prepared to step into the classroom, and she felt that these children needed dedicated resources to enable them to better prepare themselves to receive an education.

In most cases, it was evident that the desire to learn existed, but the time and tools were not readily available. So for those who sought to improve on their scholastic aptitude, FAYES was intended to provide a resource that could better address individual needs, as well as to attempt to remove the stigma associated with the varying challenges of learning.

The first tutoring sessions were conducted in Dr. Ahoklui’s dining room, as students assembled around the dining table with their books, while Dr. Ahoklui provided hands on instruction in English. The range of subject matter soon progressed to include everything from history to biology, from social studies to calculus. As the number of students increased, so too did the roster of instructors, expanding to include other teachers, senior students and alumni.

Supervised by Dr. Ahoklui, teachers and tutors instructed students from a number of different school and backgrounds in a wide range of course material, from remedial reading to standardized testing and Advanced Placement examination preparation. Participants began each program setting out a plan for success as well as identifying short and long term objectives. Eventually, the sessions had to expand to beyond the dining room into the living room, and then even onto the front porch, as the capacity grew beyond what Dr. Ahoklui’s home could accommodate.

Fundraising Initiative

Before Dr. Ahoklui came to the United States, she began her teaching career at a young age in Ghana, working as a tutor, then teacher’s assistant, and finally as a teacher at primary schools, junior secondary schools, secondary schools, as well as sewing and other trade schools in the Volta Region. As many African teachers were already well aware, Dr. Ahoklui came to understand that part of being a teacher meant acting as a provider and a fund raiser.

In Ghana, supplies were limited and resources were often scarce. Pens, pencils, paper, and books were all in limited supply. She often had to figure out how to provide her students with what they needed, and she didn’t have enough money to do it on her own.

In a West African community, she also knew that she didn’t have to look too far for help. Despite the fact that there was little money in the village, the community cared about the education of its children, and even if there wasn’t always enough capital, people often found ways to assist in some capacity. Those who didn’t have children, or whose children were already grown sometimes got involved as well, donating what little they could, whether it was money, supplies, food, or their time. Dr. Ahoklui found that the best way to engage the attention of the community was to organize the children themselves, for there was no better way to attract and hold the interest of the people than to showcase the talent and promise of their own youth.

This mentality followed Dr. Ahoklui to the United States, where she frequently mobilized young people to organize fundraising efforts. She knew that her students might not be privy to options available to their counterparts in more affluent districts, but she wanted them to feel empowered, and to believe that a lack of resources should never prevent them from pursuing their goals. Fundraising was educational, allowing young people to work collectively, pushing them to get out and engage their communities, and challenging them to build a bridge between their abilities and their objectives.

FAYES events include art shows, fashion shows, talent shows, bake sales, as well as athletic and artistic competitions, enabling young people to plan cooperatively, organize fundraising efforts, generate revenue, and manage organizational income toward a cause.

Her father was a lifelong educator as well. His vision was of a school, and before he died, he was able to complete his mission. The school in Tsibu is fronted by a statue of her father’s likeness, and as both and an educator, this was perhaps Dr. Ahoklui’s greatest pride.

Her father’s mission was not accomplished solely through his own work, but he was able to inspire and cooperate not only with the members of the community in Tsibu, but also with members of other communities. It was through collective effort that he was able to spearhead the movement to establish an educational institution, but he knew better than anyone that this accomplishment was really a culmination of efforts of the people of the community.

Employment Initiative

While the origin of FAYES began in the classroom, its ultimate purpose was to prepare young people for life beyond the classroom. Many of the young people in her classrooms carried responsibilities beyond their years, but even for those who did not, Dr. Ahoklui knew how important it was to possess the confidence necessary to identify and capitalize on employment opportunities. She wanted to give them the independence to navigate through the real world without having to worry about how they would be able to provide for themselves and their families.

With this mission in mind, the FAYES employment initiative directed members to teach young people the skills that they would need to secure employment. Senior FAYES members sat with job applicants to analyze of job descriptions in order to tailor the applicant’s approach to a job application. Members provided guidance on resume building, providing templates for drafts, and then reviewing and updating drafted resumes with students.

FAYES members prepped job applicants so that they could walk into their interviews with confidence. Attention to detail was critical, and FAYES instructors went over everything from preparing and elevators speech, to memorizing their resumes, to how to tie a tie, or to groom for an interview.

FAYES also actively worked to create opportunity. Dr. Ahoklui and her colleagues built relationships with various organizations and local corporations in order to provide access to job openings. There was also a job drive, in which FAYES members assembled to call in favors, scan job print and online job postings, and even to cold-call businesses in an attempt to arrange internships and locate job openings for FAYES job applicants.

Entrepreneurial Initiative

As a child growing up in Ghana, Dr. Ahoklui was introduced to the practice of sales and marketing at a very young age. One of her responsibilities was to “go to farm,” visiting her parents and other relatives’ farmlands, often miles away, to plant and care for crops. Upon harvesting these crops, Dr. Ahoklui was responsible for transporting large quantities of these crops back to her home, and then separating out the bulk of the harvest for sale. Dr. Ahoklui would then set up shop on the roadside to sell her goods, first alongside her parents and aunts, and then on her own.

Just as she had learned as a child, Dr. Ahoklui believed that children needed to learn how to identify a need, develop a product, and present it the real world. She believed that exercises in entrepreneurship provided not only a practical application of their academic studies, but also with a valuable introduction to the concept of financial independence. This type of education needed to take place as early as possible in order to broaden their perspective on the possibilities of their future.

Dr Ahoklui tapped connections amongst a host of local businesses, corporations, and government entities to establish a small business program for her students. She asked the FAYES youth group for ideas on what type of business they would like to run, and together they voted to start a clothing company.

Within a few months, Dr. Ahoklui secured space at the Kings Plaza mall in Brooklyn, and, under her supervision, her participants began the process of building their own corporate structure. The children involved themselves in every step of corporate development, from product design to retail store setup. They assigned officers, organized inventory, handled accounting/bookkeeping, executed delivery/fulfillment, and strategized on structuring their sales and merchandising departments.

She took input from her students on what was feasible and provided guidance and supervision, but was intent on making sure that her students took full ownership and responsibility in the operation and function of the business. Her students responded to the challenge, not only turning profits in their early years, but also instituting their own training and succession programs within the employment initiative.

Cultural Initiative

One of Dr. Ahoklui’s favorite clichés was “It takes a village to raise a child.” She was convinced that an education in identity was just as important as an education in academics. In Dr. Ahoklui’s opinion, education was of value not only to students, but to teachers, administrators, parents, peoples of the African Diaspora, and peoples of all cultural backgrounds. Her students were accustomed to hearing Ewe, Twi or Hausa being spoken in her classroom, and African artwork adorned the walls of any classroom in which she worked.

Dr. Ahoklui especially enjoyed the Kwanzaa holiday. She was fascinated by its existence, as it did not exist in Ghana, and it captured her attention soon after her arrival in the States. The idea of a cultural holiday that linked African Americans to African tradition resonated with her sense of history, self- empowerment and identity. She studied Kwanzaa extensively and built out her own Kwanzaa curriculum, and quickly found herself in high demand during the Kwanzaa season.

During the creation of FAYES, Dr. Ahoklui selected Gye Nyame as the logo for the organization, the most powerful and prevalent foundational symbol of Ghanaian culture. Gye Nyame can be translated into English as “I fear no one but God,” a tenet whose intention is to inspire and empower those who adopt its principle. A chart of the West African adinkra symbols was posted to the homeroom wall, including each symbol as well as its meaning. Amongst these principles are those of knowledge, wisdom, goodwill, justice, cooperation, humility and accountability, each important components of the ideology that governs FAYES efforts alongside the parents and amongst the young people in its communities.

Upon the formation of FAYES, Dr. Ahoklui included her FAYES participants in her cultural workshops, and their involvement ranged from serving as lecturer’s assistants to themselves performing, dancing or drumming in West African dance troupes. She wanted her children to witness the beauty and originality of West African culture, and she wanted also them to see the passion and reactions of her audiences. Whether at the Museum of Natural History, the Boys and Girls Club, Grand Army Plaza, or the MET, her audiences consisted of everyone from grown professionals to small children, hailing from so many different walks of life, but all valuing and enjoying their exposure to a culture that also belonged to all of them.

Dr. Ahoklui took it a step further, taking some of her FAYES colleagues and students with her on a trip to Ghana, West Africa, immersing them in the culture and its people. It was always her dream to take her colleagues and students to Ghana, and it was her heart’s greatest desire to take all of her students. This dream lives on in the creation of the Mia Woezor program, by which people of the Diaspora travel to the continent of Africa to explore and connect with the cultures and peoples of their ancestral homelands.

Community Initiative

The principles of community, family and shared responsibility are central to the purpose of FAYES. Dr. Ahoklui was much more than a teacher, she was a tireless mother, a dutiful elder, and a loving child. Having dedicated her life to educating young people, she was no stranger to the challenges that teenagers faced, including those of sexual ignorance and pregnancy. She had seen too many students forced to forfeit their education due to the fact that they did not have access to the proper information and support.

It was with these challenges in mind that Dr. Ahoklui initiated the FAYES family planning program, designed to provide a support structure to young people who might not have access to the resources, advice and encouragement necessary to make informed decisions. The intention of the family planning program was not only to provide FAYES participants with the benefit of vital information, but to also to task FAYES youth with the responsibility of serving in turn as information resources to other young people.

Following the education of students on the realities of sexual activity, the FAYES family planning program intended to make sure that students were fully aware of their options for protecting themselves from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. In the event of an unwanted outcome following sexual activity, the FAYES program provided access to relevant information, support, and healthcare resources to those students found themselves in need.

As a core FAYES activity, all FAYES members were all expected to participate in the AIDS Walk. The purpose of their participation was multiple, intended not only as a service to those affected by the AIDS epidemic, but also as a means to humanize those who were suffering, and to encourage dialogue amongst the FAYES youth group and their families about sensitive topics that affected the entire community.

Of the many threats posed to her students both in and out of the classroom, Perhaps none was greater than that of violence. With most of her students hailing from some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city, Dr. Ahoklui knew that she could not solve the problems that her students faced, but she did know that she could help them to control how they reacted to their circumstances, as well as to better manage the risks that threatened their health and safety.

It was with this hope in mind that she established the peer mediation program, by which students could handle disputes and discuss their issues with one another in a safe space. FAYES students acted as mediators to conflicting students, and students had the option of including or excluding participating FAYES teachers or counselors in their mediation sessions. The intention was to provide students with an alternative to physical confrontation, as well as to convince them of their agency and accountability in determining the outcome of tense or unfavorable situations.

Senior FAYES members played out scenarios with members of the youth group, laying out varying circumstances in front of students in order to gauge their reactions and encourage them to discuss their impressions and decision-making processes. The purpose of these group sessions was to get the students to consider all of the possibilities available to them under adverse circumstances, making them resistant to the feelings of frustration or helplessness.

FAYES groups sessions challenged its participants’ value systems, discussing the central themes of confidence, pride, purpose, honesty and perception. FAYES encouraged students to constantly evaluate their own value systems so that they could reflexively identify their own personal beliefs in real life scenarios, hopefully enabling them to knowingly take agency when called upon to do so, rather than reacting in frustration or anger when placed in a hostile or unfavorable situation.