Will you become a product of your environment, or a product
of your dreams? This is the question I
pose to the students involved in my mentorship program. All of whom are
considered “at-risk” because they either reside in group-homes or attend LAUSD
high schools that lack adequate resources. Hence the title of the program,
“Product of My Dreams.”
My inspiration for this program spurred from reflecting on
my own experiences growing up in South LA and the series of people and events
that encouraged me to fulfill my potential. I structured Product of My Dreams
in a way that will create an optimal learning environment for students that may
have never considered their futures to be valuable.
Every month we highlight a different major and/or career
field. This year we have covered Entrepreneurship, Cinematic and Photographic
Arts, Law, and we will end this academic school year exploring Music and
Creativity.
For example, the next installment, Music and Creativity,
will begin with a panel of student-artists from USC and UCLA. These students
vary from full-time and part-time musicians, poets, producers, promoters, and
students in the fine arts. Next, the kids will get a chance to explore the
Thornton facilities when we break them up into groups and they choose a nice
space for their individual workshops. Some kids will learn how to song write,
some will learn how to write poems, others will design the album cover work,
and the kids who are feeling extra creative will work with the musicians to
compose melodies that compliment the lyrics the writers create. Last, but not
least, they will present and/or perform their creative works.
We typically work with about 30-40 teens each session. The
different segments accommodate people that may have different learning styles.
The most important element to this program rests in the
quality of the mentors and volunteers. My team and I hand select each panelist
and volunteer before every session to ensure that they have an understanding of
how to approach the teens and also that they themselves have the ability and motivation
to inspire others. This creates cohesion of like-minded individuals, all
passionate about their craft. The teens feed off of this passion and become
more engaged in the activities of the day.
My goal is to spark passion, make the kids comfortable with their presence in a college setting, as well as displaying an array of role models of students who came from similar circumstances yet have risen above those circumstances to new heights.
It takes a village to raise a child and dream to create a
destiny. This program will hopefully do both.
"Product of My Dreams" sounds like a phenomenal program, and I can tell you are extremely passionate about providing the participants with a meaningful experience. Exposure is such a huge element in inspiring youth to work hard to gain acceptance to college. Many talented students simply are not aware of the amazing opportunities available or they don't feel entirely comfortable on campus. It's an absolute shame that some of these students miss out.
ReplyDeleteYour program combats several of the issues I mentioned. First, students come on campus and are able to tour the facilities. They gain familiarity with the campus and are able to see the reward if they work hard in school. Furthermore, the passionate volunteers and mentors help build a sense of excitement and build community which serves as an excellent support system of encouragement. Last but not least, rotating fields allows students to be exposed to a wide variety of majors and learn about fields they would thoroughly enjoy. You are doing a great thing.
It's hard to believe that a college student is responsible for creating such an inspiring and remarkable program dedicated to helping at-risk youth fulfill their dreams. People like you are the lifeblood behind social change because you saw a problem and you have taken concrete steps to improve the prospective futures of the teens you mentor. A world that is fraught with social problems requires individuals to stand up and make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI am under the impression that an organization like "Product of My Dreams" will certainly benefit from funding and grants and I would encourage you to thoroughly look into the wide variety of programs provided by local, state and federal governments as well as the charity divisions of large corporations. You have a lot to be proud of and judging by the brief synopsis you have provided of the organization, it appears that "Product of My Dreams" has the potential to spread beyond the confines of Downtown Los Angeles and become a national phenomenon. Other existing organizations like Teach for America might serve as vital resources for the future development of "Product of My Dreams". Best of luck in your pursuits!
Student organizations and causes like this make me very proud of USC and hopeful about the collaborative experiences they can foster in local communities. As an oasis of privilege amidst the poverty and crime ridden sprawl of southern LA, it's great to see the positive influence students at USC can have. MoneyThink, another student-formed program on the campus, provides peer-to-peer mentoring of urban youth for financial literacy. "Product of My Dreams" seems to be the follow-your-passion equivalent. Encouraging young people who may not know what is possible beyond the confines of their immediate environment to envision a greater future for themselves is awesome, especially at a time when Arts programs are getting cut from public schools and kids might not have the means to explore their own talents or passions. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThis is an inspiring program you are involved in. Sometimes all some kids need is the kind of mentorship you are providing with "Products of My Dream." Some kids grow up being told their dreams are worth nothing; that they shouldn't pursue those dreams. As a result we have so many kids with so much potentials who have abandoned their dreams because they had no mentorship or someone there to support them and guide them to attain those dream.
ReplyDeleteLooks like "Products of My Dream" is one of the ways to elevate those dreams of the young ones. BRAVO!!
One of the things that strikes me about Product of My Dreams is that it is picking up where many schools are leaving off. We've heard numerous stories and accounts of schools having to cut extracurricular programs. Art classes, music lessons, field trips. These are just some of the beneficial school programs that are on the chopping block due to the state of the economy. I think it is great that college students, many of whom were or are likely involved with such activities (and, at the very least, have access to them unlike many youth today), are ensuring that these opportunities of exploration still exist for youth. I think this is a great example of the collaborative mentality that is needed to improve our communities.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I love the focus of following your dreams. Your passions. Even at the university level I think we focus too much on identifying a particular career, often times the one that gives the most money. Consider, for example, the high enrollment in business programs offered in universities across the country. There is a lack of focus on learning just to learn; taking a class simply because it is intellectually intriguing. I think it's great that Product of My Dreams is starting a conversation about what "success" means and how it can be achieved.
Wow, Product of My Dreams sounds like a really amazing and influential program. I've always been intrigued by the nature versus nurture argument, and your take on the issue is definitely quite interesting. I think that what Product of my Dreams aims to do is to alter kids environments to include some kind of dream for the kids to work toward, which I truly believe is integral to personal success. One thing I'm curious about is how these kids become involved in Product of my Dreams. Do they sign up to come to these events or are they held for entire schools/groups without kids needing to sign up? Obviously, you'd get a very different group of kids becoming involved if it's done on a sign up basis as the kind of people who would sign up for these events likely already have a pretty healthy sense of ambition, enough to want to explore these professions and options.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an amazing program to bring to LA youth. So many of them do have dreams of doing something great with their lives but often times they don't receive enough support or even worse people continually tell them that they will never achieve what they want.
ReplyDeleteIt's good for them to see young people not to dissimilar from themselves doing well at a prestigious university because it makes their dreams so much more realistic. It also instills a sense of community in the youth. They'll always remember these workshops and when they grow up they'll want to go and help more students like themselves. It's more of these positive cycles that we need starting in disadvantaged areas. At the elementary school I work at each classroom is named after a university. Through out the year they hold events for the students based on their universities and everything they do is geared towards getting the child ready for college even from Kindergarten.