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Teachers partner with Neighborhood Council to fund students in barbering program

A costly barbering kit could be keeping some students from a local barbering program. One community organization is stepping in to try to help.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The cost of success can mean many things, like sacrificing time with family and friends, investing money, time and energy. 

For barbering students at Heyward Career and Technology Center in Columbia, the cost of success is a $600 barber kit. 

Now, the Richland County Neighborhoods Council is stepping in to help raise the funds for some of these kits for Richland One students in the barbering program.

The barbering certification classes require the kit to allow students to practice what they are learning on real people or mannequins to receive the certification hours needed for a barbering license. 

Students have the opportunity to obtain these hours by volunteering to cut hair for the homeless or through Work Based Learning.

Student Xavier Williams has been in the barbering program at Heyward for two years and is in the Work Based Learning program, working a job at Mpire Barber Studio

Williams says he has purchased the barbering kit and other tools needed for the class. He explained what is in this $600 kit. 

"You get the clippers, mannequins, combs, and all of the other utilities you need for barbering," Williams said.

Williams' teacher, Arthur Williams says the program tries to work with families as best they can.

"We, in our mindset, think about the budget. We know, not everybody can afford to pay $600 right up front so we put in a payment plan that tried to make it a little bit more affordable for parents and for students who want to be in this program," Stevens stated. 

Abdullah Mustafa the assistant instructor for the course says the cost of the kit has become a barrier for some students hoping to complete the course. 

"For example, the second-year students who are getting ready to graduate, their kits just got in because they weren't able to afford it. So that means that they're at a kind of disadvantage because now they're on the way out and have not arrived at what they need to arrive at. So, in my mindset, we need to correct this as we move forward," Mustafa explained. 

After months of Mustafa speaking out at school board meetings, Neighborhood Council member John Black took notice. After contacting the school and getting to see the barbering program for himself, he knew he wanted to help.

"I went to the executive committee of the Richland County neighborhood council and got permission for us to start this campaign to collaborate with the barber program to take donations so we can help the students that are having difficulties affording these kits," Black explained. "I spoke with a legislator earlier today, who is going to see about having the legislative district for Richland County, meet here at their next meeting to expose them to what the school does because it could do so much more if they had more funding."

The barbering program will soon take on another building behind Heyward Career and Technology Center where they will have a fully functioning barber shop where students can gain experiential learning hours to apply to their license requirements. Teachers, Stevens and Mustafa are hoping the partnership with the community continues so the barbering program can be fully supported. 

Donations via check or money order for student barbering kits can be taken to Javis Financial Services at 7171 Two Notch Road, Nora Hubbard State Farm at 141 S Shandon Street, and Kings & Queens Barber & Beauty at 136 Forum Drive. 

The Neighborhood Council is also accepting Cash App donations to $HEF3560.

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