KEEPING YOU UPDATED ON A FEW PREVIOUS STORIES.

We thought you might be interested in a converging point in the stories of these two boys.

Remember these guys? Here they are together.

In our most recent newsletter, we told you about Robert*, one of our boys who has struggled with dyslexia and as a result felt he was stupid and had low expectations for himself. We revealed how Janet Laughter and he had been working together going through a program designed to help Robert overcome his dyslexia, and about the progress he has been making not only recognizing his strengths and working on his weaknesses, but also in recognizing his value and potential.

As a senior, Robert is responsible for mentoring a younger youth through the Going Places curriculum – part of a “learn, do, teach” approach. Robert is mentoring Dante*, our fabulous back-flipper from our last newsletter. Dante is taking the program very seriously, and Robert is matching Dante’s energy and determination. Through their efforts and commitment, Dante is currently scoring the highest of all the male participants in the curriculum.

This is no small thing. Dante is not only the youngest teen going through the program, but he has educational struggles of his own and is benefiting greatly from this relationship and the subsequent success. It’s exciting to see Robert take all the things he has learned and transfer them to working with someone else (being a blessing another) and inspiring to see him discover yet another strength – that of teacher. This mentorship is a beautiful microcosm of our mission statement at work.

* names have been changed