the genesis...

i got a part to play, we going hard these days /
fuck the harder way, we doing it the smarter way /
to my God i pray, that's how i start my day /
the bullets start to spray, the revolution starts today /
i say the shit these people ain't got the heart to say /
fuck the harder way, we doing it the smarter way /
to my God i pray, that's how i start my day /
the bullets starts to spray, the revolution starts today //
---



the young heroes program: a saturday community-service club for middle schoolers that can be found in 17 places thruout the country. i and my team have spent the last 4 months prepping, planning, and praying for this program to begin as strong as it could. in the beginning, everything seemed to work against us...our school's principal passed away right before we were to enter the school; the program that we were supposed to be collaborating with wrapped us in bureaucratic red tape for months, crippling our effectiveness; we were a start-up site with lower recruitment goals; we lost a team member (then again, every heroes team in NYC did...); and to top it all off we had a fresh service leader with minimal city year experience. unbeknownst to us tho, we HAD the greatest asset of all...





the people.





because of our efforts, the long island city community reached out to us, accepting us into its businesses, its schools, and its family. we exceeded recruitment goals, matching the goals for the sites already in existence. we confirmed close to 100 young heroes (goal = 84) and hands down our heroes are the best. how do i know? well one, i recruited them (^_^) and two, i met all of them yesterday.





yesterday was our heroes training academy (HTA), the day our heroes get a crash course to what this young heroes biz is all about. after a HELLACIOUS morning with long speaking fits by us and more technical difficulties than windows 95, we engaged about 75 heroes in physical training (PT), prepared them for 1000 people watching them become sworn in as Young Heroes (note the capitalization...it's a big deal), and then showed them how transformative they will be in the next 4 months by having them make butter. from scratch. with marbles. no lie.





however, it wasn't the numbers that came that made this day special for me, it was the energy the heroes had. i remember what i was like in middle school; i had no real friends, i didn't have the chance to do some good like our heroes do. i was running back and forth trying to get the presentation situated and heroes were calling out to me, saying "hey, jamaal/jam/nanny/j. rocker," (i've developing numerous nicknames from my lunchtime visits) and they all had this glow in their eyes. they wanna make a difference in their communities and it's my job to make sure they have the tools and resources necessary to do so.





i've always been one to go hard in my endeavors. some say you're destined to fail if you're heart's not in it. that's why i've devoted myself to these heroes...they've devoted themselves to us.





i will not fail. i will make a difference, alongside MY heroes.





peace and empowerment...





"We want a young person to be recognized as an asset, a resource, and most importantly, part of the solution." -- Young Heroes Program





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