A Working Model:
The "Top Gun" Leadership Academy

    The New Tabernacle Baptist Church in Monroe, La., has the largest boys scout troop in the state of Louisiana.

    Its scouting activity are part of it's "Top Gun Leadership Academy" name after the United State Air Force's Pilot training school model where the best pilots are know as "Top Gun." It uses the principle of scouting combined with the sociological principles of Black adolescent development of Dr. Robert Havigurst and Useni Perkins

    Dr. Havigust laid out several task that adolescents must accomplish for successful adulthood. Among them the following are incorporated in the Top Gun Academy operation:

• He should be trained to desire and achieve socially responsible behavior
• He should be acquire a set of values and an ethical system that guide his behavior.
• He should develop an ideology or philosophy of life.
• He should be prepared for an economic career.
• He should be prepared for marriage.
• He should be assisted in developing a masculine self concept.
• He should be provided opportunities for more mature relations with person his own age of both sexes
• He should be taught to appreciate and use his own body effectively.

• Developing an Afrocentric View of the World.
• Developing a sense of racial pride without promoting hatred of other races.
• Achieving a sense of identity that embraces the culture, history, and struggles of people of African descent.

• Each boy is encourage to learn his about his receptive faith.
• Each boy is encourage to think of himself as a future leader in his church.
• Each boy is taught to respect the religious views of others.

    The Top gun Leadership provides a seven year leadership training experience for boys beginning at age 11 and ending 18. During the seven years that a boy participate in Top Gun he will b prepared for manhood through:

• Exposure to frequent values shaping experiences
• Extensive travel and cultural enrichment
• Education assistance
• Leadership training experiences

    Over a seven year period the program seeks to identify 50 youth with leadership potential and assist them in vocational and college training. The 50 youth selected are those who achieve the rank of "Eagle" in scouting. They are know as the "Top Guns" or the best of the best. Boys eventually selected as "Top Guns" travel extensively, study local, state and national government, are assisted in the school studies with tutors and special learning experiences and help to sharpen their natural gifts and talents.

    Once a boy becomes a "Top Gun"  at the age of 15, letters are mailed to the men of the community asking them to help support his educational efforts by making an annual contribution of $33.00 that will be used to help the Top gun youth help pay for his educational expenses. The program locates 33 men to donate $33 or more to each Top Gun, which provides $1,000 towards the youth's education and training. as each youth achieves the rank of "Eagles" and become a "Top Gun" he is presented with a brief case filled with $1,000 in cash and a bible. It is a symbol of investment that his community is making in the future.His money is then invested in a high interest saving instruments until he graduate from high school. Each year, his sponsors, family and youth himself adds to the amount in his fund. Sponsors are ask to give $33 each year to support their "Top Gun" as long as he actively participates in the program.

    Nearly 1,000 boys will participate in the program in any seven year cycle. Although all don't become "Top Guns", the basic values of honesty, teamwork, nonviolence, faith in god and their responsibility as African-American men will have been taught to all participant. Whether they become "Top Guns" or not, they will leave , better off than they came.

    Each young man who becomes a "Top Gun" makes a promise to his peers and to his sponsors that he will work with boys himself and duplicate the program and its ideals until he also produces 50 "Top Gun" By doing so he recognizes that he has a responsibility to give back to other the same commitment of time and energy that other have given to him.

    When each of the Top Guns completes their commitment, 2,500 young men will be touched in the local community. The cycle never ends, because each of the 2,500 new Top Gun will also have a commitment to produce 50 "Top Guns" each.

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