It’s no secret that many young black American males face a disproportionate number of challenges that make it more difficult for them to successfully navigate life.

Statistics on incarceration rates, education resources, family dynamics, racism and many other factors illustrate that young black males face an uphill battle.

To help prepare them for the challenges they’ll face, as well as teach them how to overcome them, three Tuscaloosa churches have joined together to launch the “Saving Ourselves Young Men’s Conference.”

The conference is free and open to all black males ages 13 to 25. It will be held at the Beulah Missionary Baptist Church from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday.

The pastors of the churches involved — Beulah Missionary Baptist, St. John Missionary Baptist and Dry Creek Missionary Baptist — said they hope to teach young black males in Tuscaloosa the principles of manhood and dream building.

“The overall goal is to save some of our kids, whether that’s one or 100,” said David Gay, pastor of Beulah Missionary Baptist. “If you look at the statistics, there are 2.3 million people in America who are incarcerated, and nearly a million of those people are African-American. When you look at how 75 percent of those incarcerated don’t have a high school education and are dropouts, you know we have work to do.