Paramount Pictures Mentors and Their Mentees Give Back

Right before the holidays, our LeConte Middle School youth teamed up with their mentors from Paramount Studios to give a little something back to the community. Our mentor/mentee groups worked together to build and decorate tasty gingerbread houses that would then be given as gifts to Covenant House - a place decicated to helping homeless youth and their families. The old cliche is true, though - it feels good to give. Constructing these houses was not only an excuse to have some laughs and be creative, but it served as yet another opportunity to bring our youth and their mentors a little closer together. Even though the holiday season is just now in our rear view mirror, it's nice to take a moment to remember what this time of year was really all about. Thanks everyone!

LAMAR BANKS STORY – Journey with Youth Mentoring Connection

Lamar Banks grew up in South Central LA in an area that was highly gang-oriented.  He like a large number of young men from that community never knew his father and was raised by a very tough and strong-handed mother and grandma.  Lamar, at 13 years of age found himself being influenced to join a gang in order to survive.  So he and the guys in the neighborhood that he grew up with decided to form a “set” called Fo Block. (A set is a subset of a gang).  Lamar being a big, strong kid was designate to be the enforcer for the gang.  What he and the others weren’t told is that when you are a part of a gang, it doesn’t make you safer.  Instead it does the opposite.  It puts a target on your back and puts you in greater danger.  It was around this time that he also found out about YMC’s mentoring program through some of his friends who had gotten involved with their work.

When Lamar started YMC’s mentoring program, he was not doing well, barely interested in school or even attending much.  YMC found him a mentor that was the perfect match.  They started breaking his shell.  There were some improvement but the peer pressure that kept him involved in the gang was a huge roadblock.  Then at one of YMC’s yearly boy’s initiations on the Big Bear Mountains, part of the Fo Block gang came up with various weapons and were gang banging on the other youth.  Because of Tony and YMC’s deep, powerful and transformation work that they do at this 4-day youth initiation which supplements the mentoring work that they do on a daily basis with their youth, the gang ended on the mountain that weekend.   There was much follow up work to do when they came back to LA so these youth could keep their promise to each other and their community but with YMC’s help, Lamar and the other members of “fo block” did just that. 

Now Lamar became a deeper part of YMC’s community and started really getting into the mentoring.  He did better in school, yet still had a lot of catching up to do.  He felt really proud of himself because he was making it although it was challenging.  The day came when he was finally graduating from High School.  His family was so proud.  They had even bought him a new suit to wear.  Then a couple of days before the ceremony, he was informed by the school that he would not be walking the stage with the rest of his classmates.  He had not passed the California High School Exit Exam and they did not get the results for him to retake until now.  Lamar was devastated because he had worked so hard. 

When Lamar told YMC about his situation, they decided to create a graduation ceremony for him because they wanted to honor how hard he had worked.  They had seen his commitment, his transformation and were proud of him.  So they told Lamar of their plans.  They asked him to choose a restaurant that he and his family would like to go to after the YMC graduation ceremony for him.  He picked Cheese Cake Factory at the Grove.  So on that day, they headed to the restaurant only expecting his immediate family.  However, when they got there, not only had his family turned out, but at least 20 people from his community showed up as well.  For them, Lamar represented a young man who had made it.  He was an example to those people of what was possible – a symbol of hope in a community where most don’t make it. 

YMC ended the evening with their traditional “Gift Circle” where each person expressed the gift they saw in Lamar as his family watched with tears of pride in their eyes.  To this day, Lamar said that this was the best night of his life.  He later took the California HS Exit Exam, passed and went on to East LA College for 2 years where he played football.  Lamar has stayed a part of the YMC mentoring community, helping mentor other youth and become Coach Banks for a local youth football team.  Just this year, he got accepted and transferred to the University of Hawaii where he is studying Kinesiology and plans to be an Athletic Performance Trainer.

Tip for Mentors: Help Someone Heal. Reach Out to Cure the Holiday Blues

We’ve been hearing from some of our mentors and mentees about the different issues that young people experience during the holidays when they see everyone else seemingly happy and in the holiday spirit while they’re experiencing negative emotions with their family or home situation. 

So, though you just heard from us, we thought this would be helpful!

Reach Out to Cure the Holiday Blues

During the holidays we tend to get busy and spend less time with our mentees as our focus turns to our immediate families and our holiday preparation and trips.  This, however, is also a time when many of our mentees feel a sense of longing for the kinds of family love that they see portrayed in the media but may not be getting at home.  Children often are reminded of the losses they have experienced and the difference between their life and Ozzy and Harriet type fantasies. 

“Holiday blues" range from mild sadness during the holidays to severe depression.  Real medicine for holiday blues is knowing that someone cares about you.  If you’re feeling holiday blues, you can give yourself some healing by reaching out to your mentee.  Even if they don’t respond the way you want, you can know that you did something

So, please try to stay in contact with your mentee during the time between now and the New Year. 

o   A simple phone call from their mentor is a big statement that someone cares. 

o   Doing something special with your mentee is even more powerful when you are able to make the time. 

o   Don’t forget to send your mentee a Holiday card. 

o   If you go somewhere special during the holidays, perhaps you can send a postcard to your mentee.

o   A caveat: Try to resist the temptation of giving expensive gifts to your mentee.

 Finally, all of us at Youth Mentoring Connection are privileged during the holidays to witness thousands of caring relationships.  You can’t beat that for holiday warmth and cheer.

Connecting Mentors and Mentees through “Connecting Cultures”

It’s striking how much we discover our similarities by examining our differences. This past Tuesday, students from LeConte middle school not only found out their Paramount mentor matches, but they got a unique opportunity to get to know each other with help from our friends at Connecting Cultures.  Our two groups learned about their own heritage, as well as the cultures of others, through artifacts and art pieces from around the world in a beautiful mobile museum display. But let’s be honest, the best part about exploring our cultures is the food! All of our participants were also able to grind their own spice blends to be taken home and used in a recipe of their choice from various regions of the globe. It was a chance to learn, share, explore and connect. All of us at YMC, LeConte Middle School and Paramount would like to thank Connecting Cultures for this exciting experience. Check out more of what they do at http://www.connectingcultures.us/

Giving Thanks

This week at BEATS, our mentee/mentor matches got together for a Thanksgiving party where each group sat down and came up with a menu, guest list, activities, and a list of people not invited to their ultimate fantasy holiday dinner. Our groups really got into the project. They were able to invite anybody (past or present) so we had guest appearances from the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson, to funny guy Kevin Heart. Meanwhile the food was being prepared by Chief Ramsey in the kitchen. We had lots of fun activities for all ages- some guests watched old movies, played guitar hero, and some talked amongst themselves while others took a nap before the big meal. But not the basketball fans- they couldn't miss all the fun happening outside where Michael Jordan was holding a dunking contest. During the group presentations, the room was full of laughter and everyone had so much to be thankful for.

True Colors at Paramount 11/5/13

During our True Colors session at the Paramount High School Mentoring program, mentors and mentees had the opportunity to learn more about their respective match through an activity called True Colors. Everyone was able to see who the spontaneous, compassionate, analytical and responsible individuals were. Mentors and mentees were then grouped by similar affiliations and were able to discuss their strengths, joys and values. This was a great and interactive way that the newly formed community was able to get to know each other!!!

WB: The time has finally arrived!

After weeks of anticipation, the time is finally here! It is with great pleasure to announce the WB mentor-mentee matches of 2013-2014. While engaging in a fun activity called “Human Bingo”, today was filled with so much enthusiasm and happiness. As matches were revealed, everyone’s high spirits showed that this is only the beginning of what is yet to come!

True Colors

Normally putting "Thinkers" and "Doers" in the same room is never a good idea, but today at HBO we couldn't have had a better group dynamic. Even the "People Person" who's normally at war with the impatience "Organizer" found space to be caring and compassionate without negating. Somehow, the YMC staff manage to get through session in a timely fashion with no black eyes, no broken bones,and no arguing!

BINGO!!

How many of you remember playing BINGO in school, your teacher calling out the numbers, and you sitting on the edge of your seat because you almost have five in a row? Remember how much fun and competitive it was? Those were the good old days. Now imagine playing BINGO in an interactive way -getting up, walking around, and trying to fill in the blank spots with names of people in the room, matching them with an interesting fact no one would have guessed. And the prize is finding out who your mentee/mentor matches are for the next nine months! This game was so much fun for both mentors and mentees. I saw a mentor dancing and singing, “ BINGO, bingo, bingo!” Other than seeing them discover who their matches were, that was the highlight of the day. That, and knowing everyone was enjoying themselves.

WB: Have we met?

What another amusing and thrilling day with our WB mentors and mentees! From engaging in a little “back-to-back” activity to a small group discussion, the excitement does not end with this crowd. As some approach their final days as being “mentor-less” or “mentee-less”, we can only imagine the anticipation for this day to arrive. Please be prepared for more enjoyment to come with our WB mentoring program!

BEATS 2013 Meet and Greet

YMC would like to introduce BEATS as one of our new programs we’re working with this year. The staff at Beats, as well as the amazing students from the Youth Justice Coalition/Free LA High School and Los Angeles Trade Tech College Prep, had lots of fun. They shared a few laughs together and played a few get-to-know-you games with each other. We had so much fun at the meet and greet, you wouldn't have guessed we had just meet each other. This is going to be a great year-Yay!

Nothing Like Some Good Ol' Human Bingo...

The wait is over! After strategic torture and long hours spent at Informational Sessions, Training's, and a Meet & Greet, mentees have met their match. Youth Mentoring Connection is proud to present HBO's 2013-2014 mentoring program!

Paramount / Helen Bernstein Matches Revealed!

"Yes!" was the resounding response to the YMC staff question, "Are you happy with your mentor matches?" This Tuesday, all of our mentors from Paramount and mentees from Helen Bernstein High School and STEM Academy of Hollywood met to find out what the new pairings would be. After a large game of Human Bingo, where everyone scrambled to identify who corresponded with which fun fact, the mentor/mentee match-ups were revealed. We're very excited about the record-breaking 33 matches we've made this year... Off we go!

Paramount LeConte Meet and Greet 10-15-13

This year at our LeConte middle school mentoring program, the mentors from Paramount got their first opportunity to meet the new and returning mentees. The session began with a giant get-to-know you game with almost 60 participants quickly matching up with those sharing a common characteristic. We then split into two groups where mentors and mentees rotated around asking each other more in-depth questions, getting to know everyone on a deeper level. We were excited to see so many returning faces and welcome those who are new for what will surely be an exciting year!

Viacom Matching Session

Our Viacom program started this year with a bang! Mentees and mentors found out who they were matched with by playing an interactive and fun game of “Human Bingo.” We had asked our mentors and mentees to provide us with fun facts about themselves, and now they had to match the funny fact with the correct individual. Mentors and mentees had a blast as they tried to figure out who fit the correct bingo description. The most interesting one was from our mentee Domingo, who shared that he had been raised by a wild pack of chinchillas that he then had to eat in order to survive. As we closed the session, matches shared funny and embarrassing stories about each other. Stay tuned to see our next crazy session !!!!

CHLA: It's so hard to say GOODBYE!

While most of YMC's programs are starting up, our CHLA Hollywood program came to a closure. I can attest that this was a bitter-sweet day. As mentors and mentees reflected and expressed their experience, it became apparent that we all were in the “right place at the right time”. It was an honor to witness mentors role-modeling healthy closure for our youth... Which is one of the greatest gifts money cannot buy! Although many mentees did not express their gratitude verbally in front of the whole group, most of us heard an occasional “thank you”. My hope is that every mentor is aware of their impact not only on the mentees, but on this program. We thank each and every mentor for their patience and commitment to this program. Hope to see most (if not all) of you in the winter of 2014... Live, Love, & Laugh!

WB: 13 years and counting...

Yesterday’s session was another amazing and awe-inspiring day … what a great start for Fall 2013 with our WB Mentors and Mentees! As usual we kicked off WB with what we like to call a "Meet & Greet” activity for the thirteenth time, yes you heard correctly… thirteenth time!  Nevertheless, after having a partnership with WB for 13 years it felt innovative all over again. “Returners” were reunited and “Newbies” were introduced to one another. This activity was so great it has to be done again!Stay tuned for more excitement to come!

HBO's 2013 - 2014 Meet & Greet

Showing up to HBO with new mentees last week was nothing less than fun! Ooh's, Aah's and occasional Wow's filled the elevator... Mentees couldn't fathom that they could potentially walk past actors, producers, or musicians let alone met some cool HBO employees. Their excitement was through the roof even before they had a chance to set foot in the community room so I knew it was going to be a good day!

Viacom Meet & Greet 2013-2014

This past Wednesday was the start of our Viacom mentoring program. We gathered our youth, mentors, and YMC staff at the Bergamot Station Café in Santa Monica. New mentors and mentees had a chance to bond by participating in various activities, while returning mentors and mentees spent some quality time catching up. It was exciting to see everyone have fun and get along. We are looking forward to future sessions and the development of our new community.

Jamaica say you will...mentor!

Delegation from Jamaica visits YMC to learn about our unique approach!

The International Visitors Council of Los Angeles International Visitor Leadership Program of professional and cultural exchanges contacted us about a select group of educators from Jamaica who wanted to visit to learn about our approach to mentoring and youth transformation.

When we asked why they chose Youth Mentoring Connection, they replied that people at the State Dept. told them about our most innovative approach.  They were impressed with our soulful processes and results: graduation rates, success reducing gang involvement, mentor support and mentor testimonials about how the experience changed their life as well as their mentee. 

So that makes two groups from China, one from Peru, several from around the US and now Jamaica that have studied our methodology!