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/

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!

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!

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.

WB : How you like me now?

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Who doesn't love a friendly game of competition? Well, today our WB mentor and mentees had the opportunity to play a little game we like to call "How you like me now?" We created the game so that mentors and mentees could see "how well they know each other". It was fun to witness people become shocked at times after each answer was revealed because their response was different from their mentor or mentee.This just goes to show you, "you learn something new everyday!" I believe everyone had a great time at this session, I know I did! :)

Path of your Life!

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So, we could not allow our HBO family to have all of the fun! Therefore, this past Tuesday WB mentors & mentees received the opportunity to create the "path of their life" as well. As mentioned in our previous blog, this activity allowed mentors & mentees to reflect on their life and the past to prepare for a brighter future! We could not ask for a better way of doing this.

FINDING YOUR PATH

- Yesterday Mentees & Mentors at H.B.O were able to reflect on their life and plan ahead for a brighter future... At our "Finding Your Path" session matches had an opportunity to think about the necessary steps towards achieving success and together illustrated their road to greatness!

We are Family!

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Mentees from our Viacom mentoring program invited their families to "meet the mentor!" This small event we like to call "Family Night". Which was held at Jefferson High School located in South Central. Our wonderful Gonzalez Catering company provided delicious tacos for everyone to munch on. I believe most people will agree that it's exciting to have gatherings especially when there's family, fun, and of course food!

WB's Haiku session

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This past Tuesday, WB Mentors & Mentees had the opportunity to use their "poetic side" by creating a Haiku. (Which is a poetic form that originated in Japan and is written in three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.) The session ended with a Haiku Slam, and to say the least it was a great way to begin our first group session in 2013. Here's a peek at one that was created: cold windy night alive - shivered as I walk home alone - thinking about my life

Urban Oasis Film Academy 2013 Meet and Greet

This was our first session of UOFA 2013 (Urban Oasis Film Academy) where mentees got together and participated in our meet and greet at YMC. There were twenty-six energized young people, some returning, some stepping in for the first time, all bursting with creativity!

Holiday fun @ Warner Bros.

Mentees and Mentors gathered at WB studios for a fun activity we call
"White Elephant Gift exchange".  We began with a toast (from our fearless leader Tony LoRe)  to" cheating, lying, and stealing"! .If you have to cheat - cheat death, lie to protect a friend, and if your going to steal - steal someone's heart. This was the last time we would come together as a community at WB in 2012 and what a great way to end! Happy Holidays :)

From Thugs To Hugs

Manny was too hard core for someone so young. He was 12 years old, full of anger, flashing gang signs and defiant to all of our staff, especially Free Harris.  As a Latino male, Manny had been trained by his ‘hood’ to hate black people like Free. But Free didn’t see a rage-filled thug that others described (despite the fact that Manny called him a racial slur the first time they met).  Instead Free saw a young man, alive with the fire of youth who had never been given a chance, until he came to YMC.  Free kept showing up consistently, with love, to deliver the message “You have gifts to offer this world.”  “You were born with a purpose and together it’s our job to discover it.”  At YMC Manny was able to explore and understand the wounds that made him retreat behind the gangster image.  Eventually the real Manny began to emerge: a gentle, peaceful soul that found healing in our community.  One day in a group of young men Manny told the story of how this loving black man transformed his heart.  Then Manny got up, walked across the room and embraced Free with a deep, soulful hug.  It became Manny’s trademark.  He had a knack for sensing the perfect moment to step in and offer an embrace to another young man ready to make the same move towards life that Manny had made. Manny made the move from thugs to hugs.

The final tactic in our master plan was to give Manny one of the coolest mentors ever - radio and TV personality Chuey Martinez, who has been described as “the Latino Ryan Seacrest” and “the next big thing to hit Hollywood”.  Chuey approaches mentoring like he does everything else - he shows up big every time.  It’s a great relationship.  Manny lights up when he sees Chuey and they always greet each other with a big hug.  Yep, turns out they are both huggers.

Last night Manny showed up in my office to thank me for all he has received from YMC and for the person he has become.  He spoke with pride about his improving grades.  I could see a man emerging from the former gang member. When we first met him, Manny told us he was going to drop out.  Now, Manny is going to graduate, like 96% of our mentees.  Then he thanked me for teaching him to be a peacemaker.  He said he visited one of his ex-rival’s homes, submitted to a “pat-down” and, negotiated a peace agreement that ended in his bitter rival embracing him.  They had crossed over, from thugs to hugs. 

Just as Manny finished telling his story, Chuey showed up, almost on cue, and you can guess how they greeted each other!

So you can see why I shed a tear when Manny and Chuey left my office.  But what you can’t see is my heart breaking, because the program that Manny relied on for three years will shut down -- unless we can raise $160,000 in December and January.  Almost 160 mentees and mentors will be without the structure of YMC’s Odyssey and Hero’s Journey programs. 

 

Please give Manny back the program that changed his life and give others the same opportunity.  Anything you can do will help. 

Can you also identify just 5 friends and personally ask them to help us raise these funds?  Be a real and critical part of turning around and saving lives.  If we can raise these funds over the next couple of weeks, you will give troubled youths the greatest Christmas present  they could ever want – their lives.

Peace and blessings,

Tony LoRe

Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

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