Mancode Mentoring event aims to expand young boys' minds about their future options

A free program for boys goes far beyond a two-day adventure. Mancode Mentoring educates young men between the ages of 12 and 18 on financial literacy and introduces them to college and the trades.

The event uses video games as its foundation.

"There is a tech overtone to this event, and of course AI has got to be involved there," tech leader Steve Buchanan said. "We are doing it at North Central University in their esports lab."

Buchanan said that they are also parking a gaming bus outside to allow those attending to feel what it takes to go pro in gaming.

"It's a big topic with the youth, but also about making games and what that looks like," Buchanan said. "We just hope that it sparks and ignites something in them and shows them something different than what they might be seeing."

The goal is to get the young men interested in something other than what the streets provide, to show them that they too belong in higher education.

"They may have never been on a campus before; they have not been in locker rooms. We want to show them those things and expose them," Buchanan said.

Combating the lure of gangs, drugs and street violence, the young men will be mentored by 100 Black Men of the Twin Cities. Phyllis Wheatley Community Center is also involved, helping introduce them to career possibilities that don't require a college education.

"Everybody is not going to be a rapper, everybody is not going to go pro. OK, so what are we going to do? There is a lot of good trade, a lot of good industry jobs. We want to expose them to that," said Armondo Dickerson, with Phyllis Wheatley. "We're going to have industry leaders in the building both days for these."

It's all in service of giving young men something to do and something to think about during their time away from the classroom.

A tour of Allianz Field is also on the schedule. Not only will kids talk with athletes, but they can also learn about a career path in the sports industry where you don't necessarily have to be a player.

The free event continues Friday. Students can get picked up and dropped off at the Phyllis Wheatly Community Center.