Alchemy: Extracting the gold inherent in our youth how the use of myth will assist in the personal development of Afrikan American urban adolescent males

Using the metaphorical imagery of alchemy, this study takes an in-depth look at what the alchemist would consider a prima materia , a substance of little or no value, one that could be discarded. However, this substance was also considered to be of immense value if allotted the attention it so rightfully deserved. In the United States, African American urban adolescent males would mirror the prima materia, for America has by most accounts "thrown" this population away. African American urban adolescent males feel themselves of a color "blacker than black." This color carries with it a charged shadow image of negativity, causing a color complex which leads many to an inferiority complex. Added to this lack of ego formation are youth living in an urban environment not conducive to exposure or learning. Their environment results in a victimization mentality leading to a cultural mindset reminiscent of the prisoners in Plato's allegory of the cave.;This dissertation offers an interpretive perspective from mythology, developmental psychology, and sociology. Furthermore, to understand the world-view of urban Black adolescent males, concepts of the Akan systems of development are compared to similar concepts in Jungian psychology.;These ideas form the theoretical foundation of a non-profit organization, Alchemy, Inc., where the theory is put into practice by forming groups that create a sense of community to assist in the development of urban adolescent males through the telling, discussion, and interpretation of mythological stories and fairy tales, told to the beat of an African drum. The uniqueness of this concept has garnered the attention of organizations around the country. With the assistance of the Joseph Campbell Foundation, Alchemy, Inc. is in the incipient stages working to develop materials to support replication and adaptation of this method. Pilot projects are slated to begin soon in five schools in the Akron/Cleveland area. The goal is to use these pilot projects as a catapult to spread the idea regionally then nationally. This study, and its implementation, extracts the gold inherent in our youth.