Tag Archives: mentors

As we soak up the last days of summer, let's continue to ignite the spark of transformation in every Circle. Your dedication inspires growth, connection, and positivechange – keep shining brightly.

16 years ago I was intimidated, excited, nervous, and honored to be given the opportunity to facilitate my first Girls Circle with eight 16-17-year-old girls, all of whom were on probation. They were required to attend as a condition of their probation and we met in a classroom on their high school campus right after school each Wednesday. Going into that first session, I did all of the extra things that I could think of

We need to make school FUN again! The finger painting, coloring, playground, and games (inside and outside of class) alongside academics project a light of jubilance in the soul of your child. As they ascend to higher grades, a subtle shadow or cloud can begin to encroach on their amination and desire to go to school and/or continue in a society that has failed them. Of course, there are numerous distractions: social media, computers, and cell phones just to list a few, as there are well-documented after-school extra-curricular activities for students to engage themselves such as sports, chorus, or drama club. Students need to be challenged, academically fed, and entertained.

Brothers as Allies, a curriculum from The Council for Boys and Young Men, is a program that changed my life forever. Four years ago I was struggling to find my identity. Hungry for a chance to have real interactions with youth. To truly be in the field and help. Help every student I encounter get at least .01% closer to their dreams. Some may see a small percentage, but the trajectory that shifts from the curricula provided by One Circle Foundation literally saves lives. It saved mine.

Let me ask this: what happens when children don’t have “Real Models” to look up to? What happens when the very people that brought children into this world don’t exemplify healthy love? What happens when children don’t have a village? What if I said, “When the community children stop crying, the community is dying.”  I invite you to stop reading for a moment and think about that. I was reared in a time where as soon as the street light came on I had to be back at the house. A time where if I was doing something I had no business it was OK for someone from the village to say, “All right now, you know better. Do I need to call your grandparents?” A time where grandma always had a home-cooked meal. I was reared to be respectful, yes mam/ no mam, or yes sir/no sir