Wise Guys Club

Taking Responsibility For Their Actions

Now in its sixth year, the Wise Guys project coaches adolescent males in making healthy life choices, enjoying successful peer relations, and learning through service to others.

The Wise Guys curriculum targets young men in middle and high school - a volatile and difficult period for boys. The Wise Guys program stresses male responsibility and character building. The curriculum consists of ten components: self-esteem, values clarification, communication, sexuality, abstinence and contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, decision-making, goal-setting, dating violence and parenthood. Male students meet weekly with CIS Student Support Specialists both during and after school. They are involved in service-learning projects and are given experiential learning opportunities through educational field trips.

Wise Guys meet regularly to discuss the issues boys face during adolescence. Topics such as risky sexual behavior and communication with parents are approached in realistic terms, relevant to teen boys and in a language they understand. Wise Guys also participate in service learning projects such as video messages and reading to elementary students.

By fostering a sense of shared responsibility, the Wise Guys curriculum reinforces connections between the boys and school, thus improving their odds for success. Currently, Communities In Schools is implementing Wise Guys at the following schools: Burke High, North Charleston High, Haut Gap Middle, Sixth Grade Academy, St. Johns High, St. Stephen Middle, and Septima P. Clark Corporate Academy.