The vilMENay MENtoring way is offered at local schools in Tampa and also at our office locations. We typically cover the following modules addressing Self Awareness, Planning Your Steps, Overcoming Obstacles, Preparing Your Future, Money Management and Leadership.
Some of the topics covered can be:
1. Introduction What does Success mean to you?
2. Choices. Difference between good bad and poor choices. What are your goals? Measurable goals and what steps will help you get there.
3. Article on Tim Kaine. Discuss while addressing the difference between “not doing anything” and “legally not doing anything.”
4. What do you lose out on when placed in prison or a program? List as many as you can starting with the letter F. Talk about the Khalief Browder story.
5. Address what credit is. Would you lend money to a friend who doesn’t pay you back? Compare to how banks work. Discuss the importance of credit score. Talk about Credit Karma.
6. Guest speaker
7. How to interact with police. Talk about their experiences. What do they think about police brutality?
8. Understand who you are today or your past does not define who your future can and will be. Explore this.
9. BRANDING. Tell me your 5 best friends and I can tell you who you are. What does this mean? Based on this, what do you think will happen based on your current choice of friends?
10. Wrap up. Review goals. Remind them they can succeed and what will it take to make it happen.
Being a teenager is hard. Being a male teenager, with all the negative stereotypes associated with them, is even harder. Some of the teenagers I work with don’t know which way to go, so they follow the crowd. Most of the teenagers I work with are very misunderstood. ALL the teenagers I work with want to have their voice heard and listened to. Its hard to find a listening ear at home or in school. At STEP, we have decided to find great mentors and role models who not only want to hear what you have to say, they want to help you win in this game, we call life.
We also teach young men how to properly tie a necktie as this is something they will need often in life.
Reggie Vilmenay
