Friday, Jun. 19, 2009

Belleville man to sign copies of his book in East St. Louis Saturday

Christopher Belt of Belleville says America's youths are facing a myriad of challenges and in a book series that he's created, he takes readers on a creative journey to show the importance of education and enlightening children.

"America has been involved in dialogue about the country's declining global competitiveness with regards to academics, particularly science, math and reading for at least the last two decades," Belt said.

Belt, 36, said he totally agrees that emphasis has to be placed on regaining the competitive edge in those subjects. But he believes it is paramount to develop a curriculum that teaches our kids how to be productive in a global economy.

In his first book, a 25-page, beautifully illustrated paperback book, Belt uses cartoon characters to "help educate our children about character, safety, accountability and responsibility," he said.

The book, published by AuthorHouse, is titled "The Adventures of Nate the Gnat."

A character in the book, Gary, who is a good kid, gets bullied when he goes to school and is faced with making a tough decision on what he should do.

"Gary represents every kid who is trying to do the right thing, male or female. So many of our children are good kids. They are trying to do the right thing. But, like Gary, they are confronted with difficult decisions and sometimes, some of them make the wrong decisions and end up often times in jail or on probation," Belt said.

"Nate is a gnat," Belt said. "He is like an angel. He is not visibly seen, but just when Gary is about to make a wrong decision, Nate steps in. Nate is like mom and dad. He represents the village that it takes to raise a child, the mentor, the person one can trust to offer guidance. It's a teacher, a coach, whomever."

Belt will be sign copies of his book from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the East St. Louis Public Library at 5320 State St. Belt, who is married with two children, holds a master's degree in public administration and a master's of arts degree in professional counseling. For more than 12 years, he's worked in law enforcement, dealing directly with issues concerning young people.

For the St. Clair Court system, Belt works as an electronic supervision officer. "I am a house arrest officer," he said.

He also is the president/founder of Difference Makers, a professional organization that mentors children.

Since 2003, Difference Makers has operated a nine- month mentoring program targeted toward males between the ages of 9-18.