NORFOLK — Helping students with professionalism and leadership skills is the goal of a program recently started by two police officers here.
The officers, Kyle Boone and Hakima King, saw the need to reach students between the ages of 13-18 years, and the TRUE program was born.
A six-week program, TRUE (Teaching students about self-respect; Reach students through positive relationships; Understanding students by giving them a voice and confidence to take ownership in their future endeavors; and Educate the students on job preparedness and college readiness), has already graduated 19 students: 13 from Norview High School and six from Booker T. Washington High School.
Boone and King both profess a strong passion for working with youth and saw a need for this type of training for kids in this age group.
“The goals of the program are to prepare students with professionalism and leadership skills in the workforce, and help with college readiness,” King said. “While at the same time, through positive relationships with youth, we are restoring their trust in the police, rebuilding their confidence in the justice system, and cultivating minds on all sides of the spectrum.”
Of the program’s 19 graduates, 11 have already found employment.
“We don’t promise anyone a job. However, we will teach them the skills necessary to get the job on their own,” King said.
Assisting Boone and King in teaching the classes are Sgt. Joseph Miolla and Officers Shanetta Green and James McCoy, as well as professional partners in the city.
