Serving Our Youth

It's important to remember that throughout the hustle and bustle of the day that our greatest reward comes from our service to mankind. For me, there is nothing that I treasure more than my work with and for the youth of this nation. This month makes it ten years that I've been working on a volunteer basis for young people from all walks of life and I have to say that I've gained so much insight that I wouldn't have had had I relied on "book knowledge."

There is a huge difference between book knowledge and world experience and I've allowed the latter to be my guide in my daily interactions with our young people. I've discovered that they come from a totally different world than I did and it was important for me to major in LISTENING. This is a skill that a lot of adults lack, mainly out of ignorance, but they really need to learn this skill as soon as possible.

Through listening I've been able to understand where our young people are coming from which is more than I can say for those who choose to "preach AT" rather than "talk TO." Listening has completely taken my level of understanding to a plateau that I might have never reached or attained had I chosen to follow the "rules of engagement" per a book. Listening to the voices of our youth have brought me a much bigger crowd of youth and young adults who now look at me as a leader, guide, parent, role model, mentor, etc. Had I drawn my lines in the sand and gave them a list of what I did and didn't accept from the start, things wouldn't be the way they are now.

I'm honored to have been given the honor and privilege to serve our youth and look forward to the road ahead. What will it consist of? who knows??? but I'm excited and anticipating going to the "next level" in service for our youth! In case you didn't know, it's not too late to save them. I, for one, think it's worth the effort because our youth are our richest and most valuable resource.

Real Talk.