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LITHONIA, GA – Marines and Members of the DeKalb County chapter of 100 Black Men gathered for the DeKalb County Youth Summit “Celebrate the Hero in You” at Arabia Mountain High School in Lithonia, GA February 22.
100 Black Men of America is a non-profit mentoring organization dedicated to creating health and wellness, education and leadership programs designed to change the lives of youth and produce an environment in which they thrive.
“The annual youth summit is dedicated to issues facing young people, current issues,” said Romeo Stockett, the chairman for the DeKalb County chapter of 100 Black Men’s leadership academy. “We are trying to help the youth find their passion and pursue it.”
The summit was composed of various workshops and activities designed to help students reach their individual leadership potential and highlighted how ordinary individuals have been able to achieve great success by leveraging their inherent leadership potential.
“We want them to recognize the power within themselves,” said Stockett. “Young people have intelligence and energy and the resources. We want to empower them to know that they can make a positive influence on the community.”
The 100 Black Men organization uses a mentoring platform that seeks to enhance the potential success of all African-Americans by providing long-term, supportive mentors that serve as life coaches throughout the multiple stages of youths’ lives.
For the Marine Corps, it’s a huge step to work with 100 Black Men because it opens up so many different avenues, said Capt. Leo Ferguson III, a manpower analyst with Headquarters Marine Corps. “It gives us access to the African-American population that we normally wouldn’t have access to. This partnership helps us touch the lives of young men and ladies and hopefully they will take back what they learn and apply it to their everyday lives.”
The Marines and 100 Black Men share the common goal of bettering the communities by helping to produce quality citizens, according to Ferguson.
Throughout the summit, the Marines were able to talk to just over 600 children about making great decisions and preparing for the future as they move toward careers, said Ferguson.
“We hope they take away a few things from the summit: we want them to show leadership by example and to be fearless. We also want them to make good decisions and to not be afraid to step up and make the right choices,” said Ferguson.
The Marine Corps just wants communities to know that we are here for them, said Ferguson.
“We have scholarships, career options and mentorship should they need it,” said Ferguson. “The Marine Corps is an avenue many people do not know about. It’s a career that can change people’s lives for the better.”
For more information on the 100 Black Men of America, visit www.100blackmen.org.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2014 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 121271 |
| Location: | LITHONIA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marines Mentor at Youth Summit, by SSgt Courtney White, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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