If a new program called Brothers on the Rise succeeds at Frick Middle School, Fremont Federation should receive male students who are more responsible, peaceful, caring and successful.

At least that's what the founder of the afterschool middle school program believes will happen.

"What inspired me ... were my own experiences as a kid, dealing with violence, and seeing so many male youth(s) nowadays dealing with this," said Jon Gilgoff, whose organization also serves Edna Brewer Middle School.

Gilgoff said there is a lack of programs to address boys' needs.

"There's also a lot of injustice affecting male youth in Oakland, including poverty, racism, and a focus on incarceration over education," said Gilgoff. "There's a great need to support boys on their path to manhood."

At Frick, boys in the program spent one recent afternoon analyzing the movie "Thirteen," which is about a girl who was peer pressured to be "cool," leading her to self-mutilation and self-destruction.

"The movie ‘Thirteen’ builds boys' understanding of the pressures girls face related to their appearance," said Gilgoff. "It helps boys behave more respectfully to them, to act as an ally, whether in peer or dating relationships."

Thirteen-year-old Edward Henderson called Brothers on the Rise "well structured."

The eighth grader said that he has learned a lot about how to deal with girls, including to "not disrespect women."

Henderson also said he has learned "how (girls) should be treated and how they fall under pressure for what we (guys) do."

A typical day in the program includes students working through challenges they face with the help of counseling from Gilgoff and Brendon Slev. The two counselors try to teach the boys about respect and solving whatever problems they have in a non-violent manner.

"I feel like it’s a good program for young boys in the community," said Slev.

The boys often do skits to analyze different ways to address a problem. For example, in one skit at Edna Brewer, a boy "ran into" another boy. The victim reacted in four ways: passively, aggressively, assertively and creatively. Participants had to label which type of reaction each was and which was best.

At the end of each two-hour session, the boys often participate in an activity called "Man Up," which is when they may confess to things they are not so proud about having done.

Carlos Washington is a seventh grader who attends the program and appreciates it. "It’s helpful and it’s fun," he said.

One Fremont Federation student heard about the Brothers on the Rise program and said he wished it had existed when he was in middle school.

"The Brothers program is a revolutionary idea," said sophomore Leo Jerald. "I think this program will show young males that there is another choice in life besides violence and drugs."