The Born 2 Be A Man mentorship program in Gadsden County is stepping up to meet a growing need by guiding young boys and teens toward a better future.
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For the past nine years, the program has been pouring into young men, starting as young as 4 years old. Completely free to families, the program relies solely on donations to provide mentorship, life skills, and a sense of direction.
Jakhari Bryant has been attending the program for three years and says his life has changed drastically.
"It's was at a point where I felt like I didn't want to do anything with my life besides just graduate and just get money. But now, being in the program for as long as I was, meeting all the people I have met, it made me realize that there is more to the world than just Quincy, and there are a lot more experiences and stuff for people out there like us," Bryant said.
Lead mentor Derrick Feaster says he uses his own experiences to connect with the youth.
"I got a great relationship with a lot of the teenagers. And right now, I feel like they’re going through some of the things that I was faced with coming up, and it’s easy for me to share through experience. And also, with me being a young man, it’s a little bit easier to talk to them about certain things and certain type of ways where we both understand each other and just try to give them good knowledge I was given by coach," Feaster said.
In a county where resources can be limited, leaders say programs like this are not just helpful, they are necessary.
Russell Harrison Sr., the president of Born 2 Be A Man, says the changing world makes their mission critical.
"The world that we're living in now is much different than when I was a young man. The world is steadily changing, steadily adapting and growing, and the more knowledge that we can put into them now, the more things that they can learn to do, the more skills that we can give them. They are able to be able to adapt and be able to handle themselves better in life now," Harrison said.
With continued support from the community, organizers hope to expand their reach and impact even more in Gadsden County.
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