S 5 EP 5: How To Empower Youth Through Community Collaborations and Accountability feat. Dre'mon Miller

[00:00:00] D. This whole field that we in, we're dealing with the community and out of school time programming.

[00:00:05] The best thing you can have is a network of people that you can call when somebody needs help in some kind of way.

[00:00:12] Because your tragedy and my tragedy might look two total different ways.

[00:00:16] But at least if we all are working together or we have a team of people that we work with, it's a great thing to have.

[00:00:24] Because it's like, yo, I can't do that.

[00:00:25] But my homeboy over here can.

[00:00:27] Right. And so we can kind of tag each other in and do that.

[00:00:36] Hello, hello, everyone. Welcome to School After Hours podcast where we talk about all things related to out-of-school time programming and education.

[00:00:43] I am your host, Jaylee. And today we're going to have a great conversation about collaborating with community partners in other youth organizations to help empower your youth to develop their skills.

[00:00:56] But also we're going to talk about holding all parties involved accountable at the same time.

[00:01:02] So I thought it would be great to have Draymond Miller, the founder of Street Smarts Over Safety on the show, so he could give us some tips and tricks about how to collaborate with community partners,

[00:01:14] but also what it looks like to hold your students, your partners and parents accountable at the same time as you are growing and learning together in this after school programming space.

[00:01:25] So with all the wonderful things that he's doing and expanding as well for his mentoring program, I think that he was a great choice to have this conversation with.

[00:01:35] So let's go ahead and dive into it.

[00:01:43] Hey, Grandma, welcome to the show.

[00:01:46] Hey, thank you for having me. I appreciate it so much.

[00:01:49] No problem. No problem. Well, it's great having you here.

[00:01:52] Street Smarts Over Safety has been doing some wonderful things, and I thought it would be great to have you on the show to just kind of talk about like the behind the scenes stuff,

[00:01:59] how you all got started, what was your motivation behind it, and like all the great things that you all are doing in the community,

[00:02:06] but you're also in the place of expansion at the same time.

[00:02:09] So I think that's great and also something to be talked about as well.

[00:02:12] Also, it was featured in a book.

[00:02:15] Yep.

[00:02:16] Right, right. So definitely want to talk about that.

[00:02:18] You know, we got authors out here in youth development, which you know about it.

[00:02:22] Hey. So with that being said, for the people that may not know you, Draymond, go ahead and introduce yourself and give them a little bit about you and what you do.

[00:02:32] Okay. So I'm Draymond Miller, first of all, that's me.

[00:02:36] I am one of five. So my mama got five kids. I'm one of the five.

[00:02:41] I'm the oldest boy, the middle child.

[00:02:43] I have three sisters, one brother, my biggest haters, my best supporters, and the people who get on my nerves the most, but also my loves.

[00:02:50] So I am a native of Richmond. I grew up on Southside Richmond.

[00:02:54] I graduated from George Wolf High School in 2010. Go Bulldogs, always.

[00:03:00] And then after high school, I went to VCU, where I studied criminal justice and homeland security.

[00:03:07] And yeah, so I served as a cop. I worked as a correctional officer.

[00:03:13] I had the opportunity to be the only criminal justice teacher for six years for RPS, where I created a wonderful program where students came through, got college credits, now are working in the law enforcement field,

[00:03:27] and built connections through the school system that led me into starting Street Smarts Over Safety in August of 2021.

[00:03:38] Yeah, I was working already in the after-school programs under Jump Stars.

[00:03:43] That's another organization that's in out-of-school time.

[00:03:47] And the wonderful leader of Jump Stars asked me to come and work with her doing some criminal justice lessons virtually.

[00:03:56] And I didn't know the students at all. The students were in Portsmouth.

[00:04:00] I was virtual. I was a little afraid because I was like, virtual?

[00:04:04] This was before COVID, so I didn't have those skills yet.

[00:04:07] And teaching a crime scene on virtual was a little different.

[00:04:16] Yes, it was definitely a little different.

[00:04:17] But I taught the class. We had a great time.

[00:04:21] So I ended up teaching two more classes for her, and then she came to me, and she was like,

[00:04:25] what you waiting on? Like, this is a business.

[00:04:30] What are you doing? You're good at it.

[00:04:32] And so I started teaching criminal justice and principles in out-of-school time programs, forensics.

[00:04:42] But I was like, well, I want something different, though.

[00:04:44] I can teach you forensics, and we can talk about forensics and STEM, and we can add those principles in.

[00:04:49] But how can I teach something that's lasting or give you skills that will help you as you are growing to be a young adult?

[00:04:56] Or an adult? Or when you go off to college? Or even just transitioning from elementary to middle to high school,

[00:05:04] what are some skills that you can have, some soft skills that could help you be able to be in different rooms

[00:05:09] and know how to function in those places?

[00:05:11] So we started to think about, okay, so we teach them fingerprinting.

[00:05:16] So let's talk about what makes you unique.

[00:05:18] Only one person has a fingerprint. Nobody has the same ones.

[00:05:21] So let's talk about what makes you unique.

[00:05:24] We added those pieces together.

[00:05:25] Or when we are doing eye dissections, you know, when you look out of your eye,

[00:05:31] what do you see when you look in the mirror?

[00:05:33] So kind of bringing in some of those things to make it a four-rounded piece

[00:05:38] where they're learning about themselves while they're also having fun.

[00:05:41] So that's one of our initiatives with our Street Smart Silver Safety.

[00:05:44] Once again, we started in August of 2021.

[00:05:46] We didn't really do any work until January of 2022.

[00:05:52] That's when we really rolled out and started getting into the afternoon programs.

[00:05:56] And then I became certified in CPR.

[00:05:58] So I started teaching CPR, which is a big initiative that we do in the city and the state as a whole, actually,

[00:06:06] because we travel to do CPR as well.

[00:06:10] And first aid and revive training because we have the big epidemic in the state of Virginia of opioid overdose.

[00:06:19] So educating people and getting that Narcan to them so that way they can help respond in times of emergency or tragedy

[00:06:27] when somebody is going through.

[00:06:29] And then now we have Street Smart Boys, which is another branch for us.

[00:06:34] And Street Smart Boys is basically a mentoring program for young men, 12 to 19.

[00:06:42] We have it during the summer.

[00:06:44] We have a program during the year.

[00:06:46] And now we're pushing out this year's Street Smart Girls.

[00:06:49] We're doing a little pilot program where we're going to have about 10 or 15 girls

[00:06:54] who will come together and learn what is it like to be a woman.

[00:06:58] And y'all know I am not a woman.

[00:07:00] I'm a man.

[00:07:00] So I have a great team behind me that is working with the young girls.

[00:07:06] And what will happen is there will be some moments where the boys and girls will learn together as a cohesive unit.

[00:07:13] So that way they can learn from each other.

[00:07:15] Yeah.

[00:07:16] So we have a lot of things going on right now.

[00:07:18] I see.

[00:07:19] I see.

[00:07:19] You're glad to hear it.

[00:07:21] So, yeah.

[00:07:22] With that being said, you have a lot going on.

[00:07:24] So when you're building out your concepts and what you want to get across to your students, like what is your process like?

[00:07:32] So for me, I listen a lot in different rooms, different conversations, different people, different economic status, different social status.

[00:07:41] Everywhere I go to, I listen and I take notes.

[00:07:44] So I listen to politicians and what they say.

[00:07:49] And I write it down.

[00:07:50] Don't mean I'm going to follow everything that they're saying.

[00:07:52] But I want to see what your perspective is on younger people.

[00:07:55] And I listen to that.

[00:07:56] I listen to my grandparents and the older guys that I be around.

[00:08:00] And what do they say?

[00:08:01] You know, this generation, you know, I write that down.

[00:08:04] I listen to people my age and what they think about younger people.

[00:08:07] I listen to the parents and we poll the parents to see, you know, what do you think your child needs or what do you think around the house?

[00:08:14] What do you see?

[00:08:14] What skills they might need?

[00:08:17] But then we also ask the young men, too, what are some things that you all would like to learn?

[00:08:21] What are some experiences you would like to have?

[00:08:24] And then taking all of that information to try to get the most full-rounded and well-rounded ideas and thoughts.

[00:08:34] And then I have a wonderful team, Mr. Davis, Mr. Keron.

[00:08:38] I have two interns that this week was my first time.

[00:08:42] Well, this year is my first time getting an NYA, Mayor Youth Academy intern.

[00:08:47] And Deron and Anthony has been killing it all week.

[00:08:50] Like they had went with me and they were teaching middle school kids on the fly.

[00:08:54] They went and mentored younger boys, teaching them how to tie ties, so partnership for the future.

[00:08:59] So I have a great team around me when it comes to planning.

[00:09:04] And I don't do it all on my own.

[00:09:06] I bring them to the table and I spearhead the conversation and then we build it out from there.

[00:09:11] But we also leave room on certain days for the young man once they're in the program where these are their days where they can plan the day themselves.

[00:09:18] And they can give feedback and tell us, oh, you know what?

[00:09:21] We want to do this and we want to do that.

[00:09:23] And then I try my best to make it happen.

[00:09:25] Right, right.

[00:09:26] And I think that's very important because often when we plan, I find out like in different programs, like the feedback from the students are not always taken into consideration.

[00:09:34] But yet you're building this program for them.

[00:09:37] So like their voice needs to be respected and their voice needs to be heard.

[00:09:40] But also they need to feel like they're valued at the same time when you're asking them like, hey, what do you want us to do?

[00:09:46] Like, what are some of the things that you feel like would benefit you the most?

[00:09:49] And in having that exchange with them, I feel like it builds a different, a certain level of trust at the same time.

[00:09:56] Yeah, that's very true.

[00:09:59] Very true statement.

[00:10:01] And the trust is big, especially when you're dealing with boys.

[00:10:05] Me as a male, if I disrespect their trust, that can hurt them forever trusting anybody else in life, especially when they look up to you.

[00:10:13] And I feel like certain kids are very fragile when it comes to trust.

[00:10:16] I know for me, there's certain people who I still can't trust as an older adult because I never really know what the true motive is.

[00:10:23] So I don't know what is the end goal here.

[00:10:26] So even we can work together.

[00:10:28] I can do stuff with you.

[00:10:29] Like, there would be no problem.

[00:10:31] But in the back of my mind, it's always, you know, you will never get 100% of me.

[00:10:38] 65 is all you're going to get.

[00:10:39] And the rest of it, I'm going to keep locked in a room in the back of my mind and in the back of my heart because I'm not opening that up to you because there's no trust.

[00:10:46] And that's the same way with the young men that we work with.

[00:10:49] Some of them are coming from places where their family already have broken that trust.

[00:10:53] So now we're trying to build it back for not only them, but for the family as a whole to make sure that the young man is on a straight path.

[00:11:02] But also we might be helping build up the parents behind them or the guardians behind them through the young men.

[00:11:08] The young men are taking their lessons and going back home and educating their families.

[00:11:12] And, you know, we can't be upset with the families for something they don't know or something they missed or something they didn't recognize because maybe they didn't have role models in their family.

[00:11:22] We're human.

[00:11:22] So sometimes we get frustrated with the families.

[00:11:25] But other than that, I'm very open and I'm very honest when I speak to the parents.

[00:11:29] And if I call you and I ask something, I'll let you go on the phone.

[00:11:32] My real side come out very quickly and I'm quick to go.

[00:11:36] Now, you know, I actually do that the other day.

[00:11:38] So like, what are we doing?

[00:11:41] And the parents will laugh.

[00:11:43] Yeah.

[00:11:43] All right, Mr. Dre.

[00:11:44] I'm about to do it right now.

[00:11:45] I'm going to do it right now while you're on the phone.

[00:11:48] And honestly, my nephews are in my program.

[00:11:50] And sometimes it's me getting on my sister.

[00:11:53] And she's like, all right, I'm going to fill it out now.

[00:11:55] So I'm very honest with the guys and with their parents, but also given the moments where they are the leader of their own learning.

[00:12:02] So we're navigators, but we are not the people that's teaching you all the time because you already know some of these things.

[00:12:10] You just don't know how to access them or know when to pull out of your mental toolbox to use certain things.

[00:12:17] So that's the goal.

[00:12:18] So when they leave me or if I'm not here or somebody else is not here, they know how to navigate the situations without us being present.

[00:12:26] Right, right.

[00:12:27] True story.

[00:12:28] Well, this is a good moment for us to take a break and come back with all this wonderful information.

[00:12:32] So, all right, everybody go ahead, stretch your legs, get your snacks, do whatever you got to do.

[00:12:36] Take a minute to get yourself together and come right back.

[00:12:39] Okay, so we'll see you in a minute.

[00:12:43] Hey, everyone.

[00:12:45] I have some exciting news.

[00:12:47] School After Hours is launching their first product that's meant to help program managers and program providers get their things organized and together all in one space.

[00:12:56] What am I talking about?

[00:12:57] We are bringing you our first youth program planner.

[00:13:02] This youth program planner has a lot of tools in it that's going to help you keep yourself organized, but also check up on your goals, track student behavior, as well as plan your activities for the weeks, the months, whatever you want to do.

[00:13:17] So it's a good tool to have with you as you are planning for the school year.

[00:13:21] So we're doing pre-orders over the Thanksgiving break and we're going to be selling them over the Christmas break.

[00:13:29] So join our wait list and get two sample pages for the planner as well.

[00:13:34] You can kind of test it out to see if you like it before you actually go ahead and make that purchase.

[00:13:39] The link will be in the description or the show notes.

[00:13:42] I hope you join.

[00:13:44] Talk to you soon.

[00:13:46] Hey, everyone.

[00:13:48] Welcome back to School After Hours podcast where we have Draymond Miller here from Street Smarts Over Safety.

[00:13:55] And we've been talking about his wonderful program and all the great things that they're doing for our young men, but also in the community as well.

[00:14:02] And last time before we went on break, we were talking about this accountability piece.

[00:14:06] Right.

[00:14:07] So when it comes to accountability in your program, like what does it look like for not just your students, but also for the parents that is involved as well?

[00:14:15] So when the parents register their students, usually before they register, I have like a one-on-one conversation with them.

[00:14:23] I'm like, what is our goal?

[00:14:24] What are we planning on trying to help them with with their students and letting them know and then asking them, do you think this will be a fit or do you think that your child will benefit for what we're trying to do?

[00:14:34] Because we might not be for every student.

[00:14:36] There's plenty of organizations and it might be another organization and I might just be the connector to get you to the right person that your student is looking for, but maybe we are for them.

[00:14:45] So just bringing the parent in and letting the parent know it's a safe space not only for your kid, but for you too.

[00:14:51] We are here to help, but we're only an extension of what you are.

[00:14:55] We're not going to be their parent.

[00:14:57] You're their parent, but we're here just to help and assist.

[00:15:00] And even when they're registering them, we give them moments of asking them, tell us who your student is.

[00:15:07] Tell us how your student learns.

[00:15:09] Tell us what makes your student happy.

[00:15:11] And also, what are some things that you think your students should work on?

[00:15:14] And then basically, those are things there that we could use to go back and say, well, look, you asked us this.

[00:15:20] You told us this, this and this, but you're not doing your portion to help us achieve the goal or getting back there.

[00:15:26] And so if you want them to do it, the child is doing their part, but you're not doing yours.

[00:15:31] And if you can't hold up your side of the bargain, then we're going to have to figure out because something here is going to have to change because now you're affecting our effectiveness as an organization because you won't do your end.

[00:15:44] After you had those courageous conversations with them, right?

[00:15:47] How do you begin to give them the assistance that they might need?

[00:15:50] Because they may not have the language or the tools, right?

[00:15:52] I will meet with them and come up with a plan.

[00:15:55] And it's a conversation I have between them and the student as well.

[00:15:58] And it might not be a conversation I have all together.

[00:16:01] It might be I'm calling the parent, we're talking, but then the parent talks to the student or I'll talk to the student.

[00:16:06] And we come up with a plan like these are action items that I need you to do as the parent.

[00:16:11] These are action items I need the youth to do.

[00:16:14] And hopefully we can achieve a goal at the end.

[00:16:17] So it's different.

[00:16:19] It's difficult as well.

[00:16:20] You have those parents that, for lack of better words, they're overbearing.

[00:16:24] So they, you know, this, this, this, and this.

[00:16:26] You my only child.

[00:16:27] What do you do today?

[00:16:28] And the kids be overwhelmed because it's like, all right.

[00:16:30] Like, I had a good time.

[00:16:31] Leave me alone.

[00:16:32] But then you have the parents who are kind of like, oh, y'all had a good day today.

[00:16:36] Yeah, we had a good day.

[00:16:37] Okay, cool.

[00:16:38] See, they're going to get the stuff done, but it's just going to stay there.

[00:16:40] Then you have those who are kind of, oh, y'all with Mr. Dre and Mr. Davis.

[00:16:45] Go have fun.

[00:16:45] And, you know, they kind of disconnected from it because it's like a moment of the child

[00:16:49] outside of the house.

[00:16:50] Away from them where they know they're safe.

[00:16:52] So it's kind of like a breather for the parent.

[00:16:55] But even in those, it's like your job here is still to be connected in their involvement

[00:17:02] and their evolution of growing to be young, successful men.

[00:17:08] No, that's right.

[00:17:09] Because they all need it.

[00:17:10] The babies do.

[00:17:11] They really, really do.

[00:17:12] But that brings me to another point of you not just exercising collaboration with parents

[00:17:17] and students, but I also know that you do community collaborations at times as well.

[00:17:22] So in doing a community collaboration, like what are some of the things that you take into

[00:17:26] consideration?

[00:17:27] So before I collaborate with anybody, the first thing that I do is I meet them, usually.

[00:17:34] Not work.

[00:17:35] I want to meet you just at work.

[00:17:36] We're not meeting at an event.

[00:17:39] I don't want to see you with your business shirt on and we at your event and now you all

[00:17:44] polished and looking wonderful.

[00:17:45] I don't want to see that person.

[00:17:46] I want to know who is the real down and dirty you.

[00:17:52] Now, I'm not saying I got to see you at the club, but I want to know authentically who are

[00:17:56] you because that's the real person.

[00:17:58] That's the person behind the scenes.

[00:18:00] That is at your heart who you really are.

[00:18:03] And then from there, I can know who I'm bringing around.

[00:18:06] I'm very selective of who we partner with.

[00:18:09] I'm very selective of who I bring around fragile youth, the community.

[00:18:16] And that could be any age because I feel like when we come and present or when we put on

[00:18:21] a program, there is a certain energy that I want to have in a room.

[00:18:24] People who come to our programs are excited.

[00:18:26] It's fun.

[00:18:27] It's uplifting.

[00:18:29] You're going to learn and I might jump on your back and get mad at you, but it's going to

[00:18:32] be with a smile and we still going to have a great time.

[00:18:34] So I have to make sure I protect that because that aura is what follows us as an organization

[00:18:40] when we walk in a room.

[00:18:41] So I have to make sure to protect the people that's working with me.

[00:18:46] I have to protect those who we are working to serve.

[00:18:51] And so when you are a partner or you could be a partner in January, but you might not

[00:18:55] be a partner in March.

[00:18:58] Because in January, you was okay, but in March, your values or alignment has changed and I

[00:19:03] can't bring you back in under another, you know, subsection of where you are in your life

[00:19:10] because I have 35 young men who come from different backgrounds who, if I present something

[00:19:16] in front of them, because they trust me or my staff, they're going to take that and they're

[00:19:20] going to roll with it.

[00:19:21] And they're going to take that as, you know, oh, this is a truth because they said it and

[00:19:25] I trust them.

[00:19:26] And because I trust them, I'm trusting the people they're bringing in.

[00:19:29] And then this person get up here and I'm in the back corner.

[00:19:32] Like, what are they talking about?

[00:19:34] You have people who come up and they pitch a great idea.

[00:19:39] And that's all it is, is an idea.

[00:19:41] Right.

[00:19:42] No plan, no mission, no nothing behind it, no reason why they're doing it.

[00:19:46] No result, not looking for a result.

[00:19:50] And then you also have to watch out for the people who just do it because you want camera

[00:19:54] time.

[00:19:54] But you don't need that at every event.

[00:19:56] Sometimes having too much press or focusing on that so much, you miss the places and where

[00:20:01] you're supposed to be helping people.

[00:20:03] Right.

[00:20:04] So I agree.

[00:20:05] I completely feel that.

[00:20:06] But being that you're doing so many wonderful things, what made you want to collaborate within

[00:20:10] your community and with other partners?

[00:20:13] Oh, well, I learned a lot of lessons from when I was, when I reflect back or sitting around

[00:20:19] talking to my siblings about like how we grew up.

[00:20:21] We all are five different people.

[00:20:23] We all needed different things coming up.

[00:20:25] So just talking to them sometimes and listening and just to think about, we always say that,

[00:20:30] you know, it took a village to raise our five.

[00:20:31] Like it did.

[00:20:33] Between our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles, our cousins, our older cousins, or even the

[00:20:38] five of us helping raise each other.

[00:20:42] By doing that, like we knew that all of us had different skills.

[00:20:46] Each person came and gave us something else as we were growing.

[00:20:49] And because of that, that made us who we are now.

[00:20:52] You know, so that's the same thing I felt like when I was making and coming up with the ideas

[00:20:57] for this business.

[00:20:57] I have great ideas.

[00:20:59] I have great sets of skills.

[00:21:00] I feel like I'm pretty knowledgeable, you know, most times.

[00:21:04] But I also know I don't know everything.

[00:21:06] I haven't been in every room.

[00:21:07] I can't transcend to every room because some places are just not for me.

[00:21:11] And meeting other people.

[00:21:13] I think we had kindred spirits and just meeting them and having conversations.

[00:21:16] I was like, yo, this person has a good heart.

[00:21:19] They're doing this work.

[00:21:20] And they exceed where I lack.

[00:21:23] So in order to be able to help and create a full rounded program for the young men,

[00:21:33] or even not even the young men, but the after school program, a full rounded place where

[00:21:37] we can kind of knock down certain stigmas that they have either learned or built on their

[00:21:44] own.

[00:21:47] And kind of in their minds, give them a free range of being open and creative in their

[00:21:52] learning process and their growing process.

[00:21:55] I knew I had to collaborate.

[00:21:57] So I knew I had to collaborate with New Call of Solutions because Curtis does a wonderful

[00:22:03] program with young boys about being a king and coming over and just what does that look

[00:22:09] like?

[00:22:09] What does that look like going through life?

[00:22:11] Or I knew I had to collaborate with real girls.

[00:22:15] I had to because the young men need to learn how does certain things affect females.

[00:22:22] Right.

[00:22:23] And how does that look going through life?

[00:22:25] Y'all all come from a household where you have a mother there, but sometimes you disrespecting

[00:22:30] a female and the females need to learn from the guys as well.

[00:22:33] So bringing them together was awesome.

[00:22:36] I knew she had a skill set there that for them to grow, to be the best person they could

[00:22:41] be.

[00:22:41] How do you function with these different people?

[00:22:44] Mm-hmm.

[00:22:45] And making sure I put them in rooms where they are learning everything that they can right

[00:22:50] now.

[00:22:51] Or at least get a little snippet of it so that way if something comes up later in life,

[00:22:54] they can go, you know what?

[00:22:55] We did something about that one day over there in that program.

[00:22:59] And maybe I should think about it this way because other people perceive things different

[00:23:03] than I do as a male.

[00:23:06] So I had to, you know, partnering with Podium, RBA, that teaches literacy and writing.

[00:23:14] The young men need to know how to write.

[00:23:15] They need to know how to articulate, not only verbally, but also on paper.

[00:23:20] Mm-hmm.

[00:23:20] I don't want you to write something and when they see you're writing, they already know

[00:23:24] or they think they know who you are or your background or where you come from.

[00:23:30] You and Johnny both should be writing and they don't know the difference between either

[00:23:33] one of you unless they had your name.

[00:23:35] Right.

[00:23:36] And with your collaboration, like how have you seen those collaborations like benefit not

[00:23:41] just your students, but also the other programs that decided to participate and partner with

[00:23:45] you at the same time?

[00:23:47] Well, I think because I'm pretty strategic on how we partner and who I partner with, I

[00:23:51] think we mutually benefit because we support each other all the time.

[00:23:55] So I come to your event, you come to my event.

[00:23:58] We are able to branch out to different people.

[00:24:01] It benefits them because they know what I can bring to the table.

[00:24:05] So when they have a family that needs help or assistance, like, yo, I got somebody that

[00:24:08] you can call.

[00:24:09] It's a connection piece.

[00:24:11] And this whole field that we're in, we're dealing with the community and out of school

[00:24:15] time, programming.

[00:24:17] The best thing you can have is a network of people that you can call when somebody needs

[00:24:22] help in some kind of way.

[00:24:23] Because your tragedy and my tragedy might look two total different ways.

[00:24:27] But at least if we all are working together or we have a team of people that we work with,

[00:24:34] it's a great thing to have because it's like, yo, I can't do that.

[00:24:37] But my homeboy over here can.

[00:24:39] Right.

[00:24:39] And so we can kind of tag each other in and do that.

[00:24:42] Right.

[00:24:42] Very true.

[00:24:43] Very true.

[00:24:44] Now that you're expanding your programs to the young girls, right?

[00:24:47] What are some of the things that you're trying to keep in mind as you're building your services?

[00:24:52] Not just for the girls that you're bringing in, but you're also at a place where your boys

[00:24:56] are about to graduate and they're moving on.

[00:24:58] How are you trying to mentally prepare for that?

[00:25:02] Stressed out.

[00:25:02] That's what it is.

[00:25:03] But no.

[00:25:05] For the young men and the young ladies.

[00:25:09] When they graduate, so we have different opportunities for them to come back.

[00:25:13] Right now I have one of my high school students, well, two of my high school students.

[00:25:16] One just graduated high school.

[00:25:17] The other one is actually her first year of ODU.

[00:25:20] So we have opportunities where they are in town for the summer.

[00:25:24] So while they're here, they work for me.

[00:25:27] I have them go over to the middle schools and they come over when I do the criminal justice

[00:25:31] and forensics lessons and they come over and they help.

[00:25:34] They help with the lessons.

[00:25:35] I let them teach them lessons, make up their own lessons and give them that experience of

[00:25:40] being, you know, a planner.

[00:25:42] Also a person who's coming to, if you can work with kids, you usually can work with any

[00:25:47] room.

[00:25:47] Kids are too honest.

[00:25:49] Your breath stink.

[00:25:50] They're going to tell you your breath stink.

[00:25:52] If you look like you don't know what you're doing, they're going to tell you you don't

[00:25:55] know what you're doing.

[00:25:56] Like, so why are you here?

[00:25:57] You don't even know what you're doing.

[00:25:59] They're going to tell you.

[00:26:00] So we have opportunities of growth in that way.

[00:26:02] And we also have interns with us during the summer when we have these programs.

[00:26:07] You've already went through the program.

[00:26:08] So we're planning so when they come back, they can serve as peer mentors to the younger guys.

[00:26:14] Right.

[00:26:15] And how are you preparing for your young ladies that you're now adding to your program?

[00:26:20] For the young ladies, the plan for them is, our whole goal for them is like, what is a

[00:26:26] queen?

[00:26:27] Ooh.

[00:26:27] Like, what is in whatever realm you want to be in?

[00:26:30] What is a queen?

[00:26:31] Live your life as if you are a queen.

[00:26:34] And that means in every realm you go in and being creative and how you look, how you dress,

[00:26:40] it doesn't matter what your aspirations are or what you choose to wear, but do it in a

[00:26:45] way that is of elite status.

[00:26:46] Right.

[00:26:48] So for you, what's certain things that you have that that's not going to change?

[00:26:53] What's instinctively you?

[00:26:54] Take that and grow.

[00:26:56] Be the best you can be.

[00:26:57] And for them, that's what we want them to focus on.

[00:27:00] We want to start instilling in the young girls in the TikTok age and the social media age where

[00:27:05] everybody's trying to focus and be like what they see on the computers.

[00:27:10] Baby, that ain't real.

[00:27:11] So what are you?

[00:27:12] What are you bringing to the table?

[00:27:14] Right.

[00:27:14] And then from there, help them build on that so that way they can focus on their self-esteem,

[00:27:19] their mental health.

[00:27:20] We want them to know like it's okay to not fit in.

[00:27:22] Right.

[00:27:23] I'm okay with being outside the fence and not in the fence.

[00:27:26] Mm-hmm.

[00:27:26] Because in the fence, you're stuck.

[00:27:27] You can't go but so far.

[00:27:29] Right.

[00:27:29] Unless you open the door and break out.

[00:27:31] But outside the fence, I got free realm.

[00:27:33] I can go where I want to go.

[00:27:36] So that's what we're doing for the girls.

[00:27:39] Well, it sounds like a great one, J-Mond.

[00:27:41] So before we go ahead and slip off to this next section, matter of fact, we're going to

[00:27:44] talk about this other thing in the next section of our show.

[00:27:47] So all right, you all, it is time for us to go ahead and slide into our Professionals Lounge.

[00:27:53] I'll meet you over there.

[00:27:55] Professionals Lounge is a segment of the show that allows guests to share advice with other

[00:27:59] practitioners in the OST and youth development field about how they can begin growing their

[00:28:04] gifts and talents, but also develop themselves as professionals in the field.

[00:28:09] Here's our Professionals Lounge conversation.

[00:28:12] Well, hello, everyone.

[00:28:14] We have made it to our Professionals Lounge, the last segment of our show.

[00:28:17] We have J-Mond Miller here with us, and we've had a lovely conversation about all the great

[00:28:21] things that his program is doing, street smarts over safety.

[00:28:24] So what would be one piece of advice that you would give to program providers that are

[00:28:31] starting this process?

[00:28:32] Like they're interested in doing a program, but they might not know like the beginning

[00:28:38] steps, but also you're in a place of branching out and doing something different because

[00:28:43] you are part of a book collaboration.

[00:28:46] So go ahead and mention that to them for the more seasoned or for the ones that may be

[00:28:50] interested in, you know, publishing a piece of work and what that may look like for them.

[00:28:55] Okay.

[00:28:57] So for me, I would say that if you are starting and trying to start in this type of work, do

[00:29:04] what you're passionate about.

[00:29:07] If you are passionate about it, then that means it'll be easy.

[00:29:10] And easy work means that you will do whatever you have to do to make sure it's the best work

[00:29:16] ever.

[00:29:16] And make sure as you meet new people on the journey, because you're going to meet great

[00:29:20] people, know what your main mission is and make sure everything that you branch off to

[00:29:24] always comes back to what the main mission is.

[00:29:27] So you think about it, it's like driving down the road, but you have side streets.

[00:29:31] You go on those side streets, you do the work there, and then you get back on the main

[00:29:35] road to go to the final destination.

[00:29:37] And that's what you got to think about.

[00:29:39] But as you meet people on that road, don't let them stop and take things from what your

[00:29:44] mission was.

[00:29:45] If they're not adding, then you take what they said and you put it back.

[00:29:49] So yeah, that would be my advice as you go through this.

[00:29:53] And when talking about the book, I was asked by Pamela Coleman when I went to Curtis Hall's

[00:30:02] event from New College Solutions, I was approached by Pamela Coleman and she told me that she was

[00:30:09] doing a book anthology on Black men's mental health.

[00:30:13] So there are about 20 different Black men that's in this book, and there are all different stories

[00:30:21] from each one of us.

[00:30:22] Each one of us had our own chapter.

[00:30:24] We wasn't told exactly what we had to write about, and we had free realm to go in any direction

[00:30:33] we wanted to.

[00:30:35] I had 48 hours to write my piece because I was asked later than everybody else.

[00:30:41] 48 hours.

[00:30:42] But we made it work, and the book is called Unspoken.

[00:30:45] It's Okay to Not Be Okay.

[00:30:46] It's a great book with a lot of great stories.

[00:30:48] A lot of the guys took the position of writing from their own lives and how they thought, but

[00:30:54] then some actually wrote from more theories and talking about that and then applying it.

[00:31:02] My story is more so introspective.

[00:31:07] How's that?

[00:31:08] That is good for younger guys, middle-aged, older guys.

[00:31:12] Just reading and making you think of certain things, of how things can affect a young male

[00:31:17] as they're growing.

[00:31:18] So how does things resonate with you when you're saying it, when you have those microaggressions?

[00:31:23] Because you might not mean on the bio because everybody's been saying it to you, but not

[00:31:26] knowing how it affects a young man who's trying his best to be the best he can be, but also

[00:31:31] dealing with all of this stuff inside of the home.

[00:31:33] And I wrote my part of the book like that.

[00:31:36] So that way I could use it as a piece for the young men that we work with and giving

[00:31:43] it to them and then like dissecting it and breaking it down for them to understand in

[00:31:48] certain parts of life, these things will happen.

[00:31:50] But what is the healthy way to respond to it?

[00:31:52] Right.

[00:31:53] And if I'm being healed by it, the whole hopes is that other people in the community as

[00:31:57] they read it also can be healed as well.

[00:31:59] Just by maybe something that I went through or something that somebody else went through as

[00:32:03] well and being able to see it and knowing that there's a future in the end of it is great.

[00:32:08] But it's the same thing that we do with our work and the out of school times.

[00:32:11] Sometimes when you start it, it might look bleak.

[00:32:13] It might look real bad.

[00:32:15] You might, I don't understand what's going on.

[00:32:17] This is hectic.

[00:32:18] The planning stage is horrible.

[00:32:20] You know, the money don't look right.

[00:32:21] I don't know if we're going to get the money.

[00:32:23] I don't know what's going to happen, but there's a need.

[00:32:25] People are asking me to do it.

[00:32:26] All of those things are happening.

[00:32:27] And I've had moments where I have just laid on the couch all day because the anxiety of it

[00:32:32] is stressful.

[00:32:34] But that's when you have to make sure that you have a great team around you.

[00:32:38] People who actually support the mission and the goal.

[00:32:41] People who don't just give you lip service, but actually are ready to put their feet on

[00:32:44] the ground.

[00:32:45] And being connected to different outside programs and organizations and groups and alliances.

[00:32:52] So that way, when you go out to do that work, you know you got people that's backing

[00:32:56] you, people that are supporting you, and people that's uplifting you too.

[00:32:59] Get some people who uplift you, even if they're not in the room.

[00:33:04] Or going to uplift you when you're not in the room.

[00:33:08] Exactly.

[00:33:10] And if you do that, I think, you know, everything will be successful.

[00:33:13] That's it.

[00:33:13] That's the goal.

[00:33:16] Win on top of win on top of win.

[00:33:17] Well, thank you very much for being with us.

[00:33:19] If anyone wants to get in touch with you and find out more about Street Smarts over

[00:33:24] Safety and all the wonderful things that you do outside of Street Smarts, how would they

[00:33:28] get in touch with you?

[00:33:30] You can Google us, Street Smarts.

[00:33:32] Facebook will show up.

[00:33:33] Or you can go to Facebook, it's Street Smarts over Safety.

[00:33:36] You just type in a name and we pop right on up.

[00:33:39] We also, Instagram, Street Smarts over Safety.

[00:33:42] Our website, we put it in Google, it's going to pop up first.

[00:33:46] Email, StreetSmartsoversafety at gmail.com.

[00:33:49] All of those things.

[00:33:50] If you message us, we respond back very quickly.

[00:33:53] All of our different platforms.

[00:33:57] And our goal is just to do what we can in the city to try to make somebody be successful,

[00:34:02] somebody grow, and, you know, for people to have long life.

[00:34:06] No, that's right.

[00:34:07] Well, thank you so much, Seth, for being on the show.

[00:34:09] I greatly appreciate you and all the work that you are doing.

[00:34:11] Well, everyone, that brings us to the end of our show.

[00:34:14] If you like what you heard and you enjoyed our conversation, make sure that you're following

[00:34:18] us on YouTube, but also hit that like button so we know what you are enjoying.

[00:34:23] You can also find us on other podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts

[00:34:30] if you want to listen to our audio version as well.

[00:34:33] To get more behind the scenes stuff, make sure that you're following us on our social media

[00:34:37] accounts, Instagram and Facebook at School After Hours.

[00:34:43] Well, that's all I have for today.

[00:34:45] In the words of Mr. Arthur Ashe, start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.

[00:34:51] Until next time, y'all.

[00:34:53] Bye-bye.