CHLA Meet and Greet

CHLA's first group sesssion: mentors and mentess got together and interacted through different activities, discussions, pizza and chaos bowling.

Rhino Mentoring Program 10/19/2011

At our Rhino mentoring program matches interviewed and introduced one another. Amor Armour and Glenn Schwartz created a rap song for their introduction.

G: This is Amor
A: This is Glenn
A: It’s out third year as a match
G: And Jodi is his pen.

A: The program is a lot of fun
G: As you’ll hear within our rap.
G: Lots of laughter and new experiences
A: But right now I need a nap.

G: Amor’s very creative
A: And Glenn’s a funny guy
G: We speak mentoring lingo
A: Sawbouna instead of hi.

G: This year we’ll do more one on ones
A: And conquer all our fears
G: If new matches have any questions
A: Ask as we’re all ears

A: We hope that you enjoyed our rap.
G: We hope it’s not to hammy
G: Look for us on TV
A: Winning our first Grammy.

The Half Boy's Lament

Each October we bring about 50 young men and 50 young women up to the Big Bear Mountains for an Initiation Event patterned after indigenous Rites of Passage.  It is always a soulful healing experience and lives are changed forever.  As amazing as the work on the mountain is there's always a little trepidation coming home.  How do we hold onto these gifts that we discovered?  How do we allow the medicine to keep working once we are back to the dangers of our everyday lives?  This poem speaks to the chance that we can:

Went up to “Big Bear” to let myself heal
And search for answers at the medicine wheel
Crossing the footbridge, I enter and bow
Got caught slippin by spirit
       “You in my neighborhood now."

Finding myself in a fight for my soul
Four directions: my allies, to help half become whole

     Seared by fire, healed by flame
     Drowned by water, new life to claim
     Dragged across earth, cured in the pain
     Whipped by the wind, which whispers my name

Back at home among friends and hosts
Old habits summon like restless ghosts
Anger and heartbreak so hard to tame
But the river invites me
      And river knows my name

Mountain air smells of pine, the city can have a stench
The smallest offense makes my fists start to clench
To lash out at others and shift the blame
But the wind whispers new truths
      And air knows my name

When my heart goes dark and only rain is falling
When my forehead is heavy and depression comes calling
I could answer with the pipe, or the bottle I claim
But I’ve been held by the earth
      And earth knows my name

When enemies insult or friends betray
And rage burns inside and I’m called by old ways
There’s medicine now to deal with the shame
I’ve been baptized by fire
      And fire knows my name

I have seen the crow fly with the dove
Can no longer strike out at ones that I love
I called for healing and healing came
I was bitch slapped by spirit
      And spirit knows my name

When petty excuses pull me off track
I can look to the mountain to pull myself back
The trees bear witness to what I became
Fear still surrounds me
      But mountain knows my name

The half boy’s lament “there’s no medicine here”
Then he jumped in the river as he held back a tear
Neither he nor I will ever be the same
To this old vagabond he said… “I love you”
      And the boy knows my name

I am an earth father, inviting you to come home.
I’ll build us a fire so your purpose is known
Let water bring peace to all that you do
The wind will bring magic

     I know your name too

peace and blessings,

Tony
Tony LoRe
CEO & Founder, Youth Mentoring Connection

HBO Meet & Greet

Surfing 2011

Once again our youth had an amazing time surfing the waves. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers that came out and helped. This would had not been able to happen with out your support. Thank you and lets keep making a difference in young peoples lives.

Urban Oasis Film Academy Featured on KPCC

The Urban Oasis Film Academy was recently feature on KPCC.  

From the KPSS Multi-American blog: South LA's Film Students: 

The Urban Oasis Film Academy teaches the art of filmmaking to teens in South Los Angeles, allowing them to make films that have gone on to win awards and landed jobs for some in the film industry.

Videographer Katherine Sheehan interviewed several of the students and instructors for KPCC, including a couple of boys who documented their crosstown trip from South L.A. to Santa Monica, contemplating the socioeconomic and culture divide between the two sides of the city. “It’s beautiful out here,” one boy said once at the beach, “but it’s not for us.”

The Film Academy was started as a partnership between HBO and the Youth Mentoring Connection. A few of the students’ films can be seen here.

If you would like to help the Film Academy continue to impact and inspire inner-city youth, please contact Kimberlee at Youth Mentoring Connection (at 323-731-8080, or kimberlee@youthmentoring.org).

Agueda's Thoughts: More Fee Hikes

    The type of work Youth Mentoring Connection does is life-changing and life-saving. I believe that in order to be able to do such great work that also comes from a good place individual’s need proper training and education on the issues that our communities are facing. Many of us come from such communities, therefore, we have experienced the issues first hand, but regardless of this, being able to critically reflect and analyze your experience is crucial. There are many college courses, professors, advisors, etc who can provide such things for an individual and being able to have those resources at your disposal is an issue of accessibility and equity for our communities.
    Both the UC and Cal State systems recently approved additional fee hikes for the 2011-2012 academic year. The announcements were made this week, just weeks before the year is to begin.  For people who come from a low-income background such notifications can be alarming and can cause panic. How can a family who is barely making ends meet come up with an extra $500-600 in a matter of weeks? Many families do not have disposable income and do not have the liberty to simply set aside money for short-noticed expenses.
    Now, considering all this, how are individuals who are interested in doing social justice work supposed to get the education and training needed to be most effective in the communities they work with when they can barely afford college? How can individuals move up in the social ladder and give back at the same time when their access to so many resources is limited?
    The 9.6% increase the UC Regents recently approved along with the 12% increase the Cal State board approved both will be on top of the previous fee hikes both systems had previously approved for this upcoming academic year. Issues of accessibility and equity have been present within our higher education system for years but fee hikes like these will only create more issues for communities of color.
    Such fee hikes will make it extremely hard if not impossible for many to attend a 4-year institution after high school or transfer from a community college.  This issue goes beyond economic disparities; fee hikes continue to create access for some groups and continue decreasing and limiting the access to higher education to many other groups.  How can those groups whose access is limited be fair competitors in the current job market, do good work, or simply get by? 


Agueda

Almost Two Years?

Ramses and I have been hanging around together for almost 2 years! It’s hard to believe that we’ve come this far. When we got matched up in 2009, I didn’t know what I was getting myself in to (im sure he didn’t either!). He started off pretty quiet…maybe a little shy. But now he’ll think nothing of getting up and speaking in front of the group.
I’ve grown as a man since we’ve met and have been able to talk to him about just about anything. He’s been with me through a new job, a break up, new place to live; through thanksgiving and Christmas, birthdays and BBQs. Malibu (my pup) loves when Ramses comes over. Ramses has much more energy than I do so I leave him to the dog wrestling!
Because of Ramses, I’ve experienced both Snowboarding AND surfing in our time together. We both learned a bit more about each other those times. Because both of us are down to do just about anything, we’re taking advantage of all that YMC has to offer-which has been quite a bit so far.
I hope, at some point, I can make as much of an impact on him, as he is making on me.
Thanks for hanging with me Ramses….

Mark Encinias