“Miracle workers, promise keepers, lights in the darkness… that is who you are”
This is the tagline for our WAYmakers program. Young men look to see themselves and their potential in their fathers or other men that may be in their lives. Whether it is positive or negative they will reflect the identity of these men upon themselves the majority of time. This is the reason why in so many homes, schools and neighborhoods where men are absent, gangs and negative cliques become popular because of their attraction of a “family” atmosphere.
WAYmakers is designed to give young men an atmosphere of encouragement. We use mentorship to show them different roads to grasp their dreams and goals. As leaders in life they will be called to “make a way out of no way.” Whether it is as a husband, father, business owner, coach or employee they will have to learn how to diagnose a problem and find a way to resolve it. They will have to be a WAYmaker.
This is the potential we believe exists in each young person that enters our program. They have the ability to be whatever their goals need them to be, if they dig deep enough into their character to find this identity. Young people often look to see themselves and their potential in their parents or other adults that may be in their lives. Whether it is positive or negative they will reflect the identity of these adults upon themselves from their adolescence. This is the reason why in so many homes, schools and neighborhoods where men or women are absent, negative cliques can become popular because of their false attraction of a “family” atmosphere. Young people long to discover their identity in this world.
WAYmakers is designed to give them an atmosphere of encouragement and mentorship. A sense of purpose they may have never realized. Our program builds on biblical principles of Jesus Christ. We build inside out — spirit, then mind, and then body. We use mentors to teach life skills and set career initiatives through their gifts and hobbies. We look to show youth how to apply these skills to their everyday endeavors. Our staff and volunteers train young men how to navigate different roads in life in order to grasp their dreams and goals through a mental and spiritual lens. Our main goal is to create a sustainable leadership trait within them that would last throughout their lives. As leaders in life, they will be called to “make a way out of no way.” Whether it is as a husband, father, business owner, coach or employee, they will have to learn how to diagnose a problem and find a way to resolve it. They will have to be a WAYmaker.
Uriah’s Pillars
Uriah is a historical figure that was a dedicated officer in ancient times. His name is remembered for having the utmost integrity and dedication to his family, community and men he led. Even though he was put in strenuous situations with his King, he never wavered. This cost him his life but he never relented from his beliefs. We often speak of integrity amongst potential leaders but it is rarely displayed as well as Uriah did during his lifetime. These five Pillars are indicative of the way he lived. These are the building blocks of this program.
Discipline In order to accomplish any worthy goal or initiative a person must be disciplined. A plan must be set out and he has to dedicate himself literally in every way to accomplish this feat. He must be willing to sacrifice any temptation that deters his ultimate goal.
Self-Control Being able to control your mind and body from “wandering” is critical in building the type of characteristic needed for leadership. There is a difference between what you want and what you need. Having the ability to be in control will allow you to choose the wiser path.
Respect You do not have to agree with everyone in order to respect him or her. There is a common denominator amongst us all that we can find that makes room for respect. When you see value in yourself, you can see it in others. This is where respect can be found and nurtured to higher levels in life.
Responsibility As men, they will be required to be responsible for something in life throughout their life. To learn responsibility at a young age means that they will fully embrace it even more so later in life when it is demanded in their roles as husbands, fathers, and community leaders.
Love Everything starts and ends with love. Nothing great or outstanding can be accomplished without it. A resounding force that will accomplish the unimaginable when believed in and fully committed to.
Curriculum
Town Hall Discussions Town halls will be conducted as a “State of the Union” for current issues. The young men will be able to discuss and develop solutions with each other and mentors. We will tackle current social topics, relationships, financial literacy, religion and other topics that affect their lives on a daily basis. Students always look for a platform to express themselves among peers. This setting allows them to talk amongst each other and with mentors to discover answers. This will be a safe place for them to discuss. There will be at least three sessions per semester.
Letter to the Future Participants in the program will write a letter to someone they love who is currently not in their life. A parent, future unborn child, current child or friend. This is to express what their life is like now and goals in the future. They will write them at the beginning of the year, seal them and receive it back upon high school graduation. The letters can talk about what is currently happening in their life, classes, what they are trying to do, their goals, etc. No one will read it except them. The purpose of this exercise is for the student to think beyond the moment — to think about how their children will view their current actions, good or bad, and how comfortable they are in writing to them about those actions. It creates responsibility and accountability.
Dream Development Students will see how their interests and hobbies may be developed into career choices and purposes in their lives. We will have several workshops and speakers during the year that will give the young men the opportunity to explore different avenues.
Community Service We will have two major community service events every year with the entire group and mentors. This service will find local non-profits to work alongside with us. The importance of giving back will be a big emphasis for the program and for the young men. We will look to connect all aspects of community to serve branches of the community that need attention and healing.
Monthly Topics
For our Monday meetings we want to have a theme to discuss at the beginning of each week of every month. The discussions will be student led. Since this program is meant to foster leadership, it is pertinent that they take such a role in discussing topics such as these. These subjects will be critical to the development of a young man and may be directly related to the issues they may be experiencing at the time. (Middle school curriculum may be adjusted to fit age-appropriate topics.)