I was born on May 11, 1996 in Harlem. I’ve lived here all my life and I would describe my childhood as being normal. Typical kid things I did included hanging out with my friends, going to the park, and playing ball. From when I was younger I’ve wanted to be different so I got involved in action sports such as BMX riding and skateboarding. Those activities helped me to escape. Another way I’ve been keeping my head leveled has been through creating my own music including producing and engineering. I’ve been writing my own songs as a means of expressing myself and hope to one day further my career.
I feel I had a pretty good run in school but I was too social. I was more concerned with being the cool guy than getting good grades and while I always knew the material, I did not care enough at the time. Additionally, I had a lot of anger and got suspended a lot causing me to be considered a problem child. I was still learning more about myself, however, as I got older and gained more understanding I’ve been able to calm down.
My entrance into Youth Action initially came from a place of necessity. My mom’s friend told me about YAYB and since I’ve been wanting to get my High School Equivalency diploma I decided to look into it. At the time I was wrapped up in a legal case and wanted to do something productive in order for the DA and the judge to see I was turning things around. While my original focus was to beat my case, after attending the program more and getting better acquainted with everyone, I really started to enjoy myself. Everyone was committed to providing a space for each of us students to figure out what we wanted to do with ourselves and our future, which is something I took for granted in high school.
I signed up for both the Construction and the Building Operators training programs. I have credentials through both programs but focused on Construction. Growing up I had a lot of uncles in the construction field and when something went wrong where they lived or where I lived, they were able to fix it. When I’m older I’ll already know the skills and won’t get overcharged because I know how everything is supposed to go.
On top of the training program and the education, doing community service was something that made me feel better personally because it had me thinking, “Wow, I’m doing something to get myself out of a jam and at the same time, I’m helping people in need.” Community service became more fun and enjoyable for me rather than an obligation.
The program is all on you and your work ethic; I feel I’ve been consistent. I learned that when I apply myself, I really can do whatever I want. When I first came into the program, I did a mock interview with a company and overtime I built a relationship and now have an upcoming interview with them.
Using my experience, if I see a kid in a situation where they look lost and need help, I’ll offer them YAYB and express that it’s a judge free space with dope people there who want to see you do better. It’s important to tell youth about Youth Action.