After
reading the above article, my first thought was to congratulate
STOKED for bringing such an effective after school program to the Los
Angeles community. And don't get me wrong, there are many programs
that mentor the youth and inspire them to be better than their
surroundings, which is awesome. However, the kids that were described
only make up a small portion of most school's population. What's
staggering is the percentage of kids that dream of doing great things
but never take advantage of the programs available. Why is that?
One
would think that when trying to achieve something it only makes sense
to seek out those that are willing to help. The fact of the matter
is, it's just not the cool thing to do. Kids heavily rely upon the
affirmation of their peers when considering after-school programs and
extra-curricular activities. Which is the reason sports are highly
sought after programs. Kids applaud and celebrate each other's
success in sports. Unfortunately, those same kids frown upon the ones
who excel academically and participate in thought provoking
activities. That's mostly male dominated, but for the young ladies,
cheerleading and dancing take precidence over most other activities.
And while they do exert themselves more academically, there is a
large portion of those who would rather go home and face the music as
well.
I'm
reminded of an evening I spent engaging with a 2nd grade class. The
teacher asked me to talk to them about bullying and fighting amongst
each other. I asked the question, "After all the fighting is
done, are you closer to attaining your dream or further away?"
The kids shouted in unison, "Further away!" It was shocking
to see that the knowledge was there, but the application was lacking.
As if there was no connection between their dreams and their actions.
Somehow, we must teach our youth the process of sowing and reaping.
This biblical principle is just as definite as gravity. You can fight
it as much as you would like, but eventually gravity will always win.
As we continued to discuss reasons behind their actions, they learned
the importance of the decisions they make and how their future is on
the line when being provoked or met with adversity.
What
I learned was that we, the adults, have a part to play as well. Tyler
Perry quoted, "That which is left covered does not get healed."
That simply means that unless the truth is revealed, healing cannot
take place. We have a tendency to treat our young people in a way
that suggest mistakes were not a part of our process. We walk with
our heads held high and nose turned up at the youth, as if we have
arrived and are waiting for them to catch up. The truth is that "All
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We miss our
opportunity to reach this generation because we don't want them to
know that the reason we're experts is really because we made the same
mistakes and learned the lesson we are trying to teach them. In
actuality, we are not as smart and wise as we try to persuade, but
rather, learners by experience. Healing starts with us! Our testimony
is not in perfection, but rather in perseverance. Something tried to
destroy us but we're still here to tell the story.
In
conclusion, dreams are one of the few things in life that are free.
Your car can be towed, home foreclosed, but a dream can last forever.
History teaches us that very principle and proves it to be true year
after year. The Bible confirms, "Where there is no vision the
people perish." We were created to push, strive, achieve and
conquer. Our children are depending on us to show them the way. Lets
not let them down.
P.S.
That class left the room chanting, "My Dream Is More
Important!!!"
let me know what you guys think
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