Freedom Hall, an after-school mentoring program, in its third year of mentoring urban fatherless young men in North Sacramento, operates three days a week working in a team-based environment to develop character growth, improve academic performance, and enhance life skills through long term mentoring from 6th grade through high school graduation. STS exposes urban fatherless young men to area businesses and points of interest they have never had the chance to experience. Academic challenges are held three times during the school year, and the winning teams of young men get to go on fun trips such as: fishing in Lake Tahoe, hiking in the Sierras, camping (where they have experienced snow for the first time!), visit a marine college campus and toured their ocean ship. After enrolling their sons in Freedom Hall, moms have reported positive character changes in their sons’ behavior at home and academic improvement at school at school.