South Bend, IN
Gentlemen & Scholars Inc.
About Us
Gentleman and Scholars, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with 501C3 status that serves the communities of St. Joseph County and the greater Michiana region.
Established in 2014, by William Douglas, Gentlemen & Scholars has a mission is to empower the youth and equip them with the skills necessary to become better versions of themselves. It is our vision to assist the youth with unlocking their individual potential value, in order to maximize self-expression.
The organizational purpose of Gentlemen and Scholars is to provide an alternative to the mainstream stereotypical path for the youth.
MEET OUR BOARD
William Douglass
Founder/CEO
C Shawn Thomas
President
Shane Williams
Director of Arts
Cory Brazier
Director of Presentations
Spelling Bee Explosion
Each year we host our academic competition, The Spelling Bee Explosion, to encourage the youth to use their minds and words effectively. Our annual event has awarded over $13,000.00 in scholarship funds to our competition winners.
THE SCHOOL OF ETIQUETTE AND LIFE SKILLS
The School of Etiquette and Life Skills is our co-ed year-long program. It is six eight-week sessions that will empower the youth to make better decisions, guide them to become responsible community members, and to develop their personal and social leadership skills.
The purpose of the School of Etiquette and Life Skills is to help provide an alternative to the stereotypical wayward path that seems to appeal to this tender generation. We aim to create young ladies and gents, while challenging their negative self connotations by rewiring their mindsets.
Our workshop is implementing strategies that encourage children to find their voice and build their self-confidence so they’ll realize that they are more than adequate.
scholars speak
The purpose of the Scholars Speak program is to help provide a self-expression outlet to students and serve as an alternative to self-destructive and wayward decision-making that seems to appeal to this tender generation.
This is a public speaking workshop where the objective is to develop the youth into skillful keynote speakers and speech writers. It is a co-ed, eight-week program with two training sessions per week. The Scholars Speak program will introduce fun concepts that show the youth how to use their voice to inform an audience of an impactful idea. Students will learn the pros and cons and the important history of the motivational speaking industry while being prepped for the opportunities to be a speaker resource option for public engagements, conventions, conferences, and other types of events.
All participants will be showcased and encouraged to share their message on stage. This process will help them form social connections, recognize how they can influence decision-makers, enhance team and management leadership skills, and motivate change while developing vocabulary and fluency in the language.
TESTIMONIALS
Gentlemen and Scholars did a great job speaking to the kids at our conference. They were really good with the kids and had everyone speak. They are big on teaching public speaking and building confidence in the kids. G&S talked about speaking positive affirmations to ourselves and each other. We talked about how to take care of a plant, from a seed, which represented our goals in life. We nurture them and take care of them. I brought up how talking to a plant gives them CO2 and how they convert it to O2 which brings love. They talked about a book that I actually heard about last week. It was about the memory of water. We make up at least 60% of the water in our bodies. A man did an experiment where they took too 2 bottles of water. They encouraged one, and cursed the other. They then froze the water and looked at it under a microscope. The one that was encouraged had beautiful crystals, patterns, and shapes. The one they cursed was all jagged and ugly. It showed how our makeup is mostly water and how words really affect our molecular makeup from a physical and spiritual standpoint. We had a great conversation with the kids and they were so engaged.
~ Dr. Jon Abiera
As a parent, my strong desire has always been to maintain a solid village for my daughter. Gentlemen and Scholars, Inc. divinely entered our lives at the perfect time and have served in various roles. Whether it is through mentorship, coaching, academic encouragement, or serving as father figures, they are undeniably positive influences for my child. I am forever grateful!
~Reasha Ly
Hi, I am the Health and PE teacher at Grissom Middle School. I read in the paper that one of my students was attending a respect class and how he was being taught manners and how to behave for this young generation of future leaders in our community. Please know that I have always noticed his respectful demeanor towards me and his fellow classmates. He has demonstrated in real-life situations what it means to be a gentleman and positive leader in his school. Please let the director and fellow colleagues know this class is truly outstanding and helps make the community a better place. My hat goes off to you as his guardian and also to the fellow community members that are instilling these important attributes in our younger generation. God bless all of you and have a great day.
~Coach Manspeaker
Gentlemen and Scholars Inc. is proudly sponsored by:
