It Takes A Village

                   THE PROTEGE PROJECT

"It takes a village to raise a child"- African proverb

As the younger child born in my family, my life lessons began at a very early age.  A huge part of my personal success in life is a direct result of the village of individuals who helped shape my path in life. I had early exposure to on-the-job lessons in time management and responsibility. Striving for excellence both on and off the playing fields; accepting responsibility for your actions (good or bad), being willing and able to accept the consequences, sports participation toward developing effective leadership skills and a host of other valuable life skills.   
As an athlete and coach, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor many from our younger generation.  The fundamental difference I see between those who succeed and those who don’t is the lack of a strong support system.

The vision behind the Protégé Project is to create a network of support where youth are equipped with the necessary tools to increase their chances of success in life.  I believe one of the most vital components to a young person's life is exposure and by establishing a village of qualified mentors and community leaders.  These mentors are able to provide our protégés with early exposure to various avenues of success in life and provide them a road map to reach their destination.

THE PROTÉGÉ PROJECT is a program that is in direct response to the growing number of young people that are either falling through the cracks at school or are already entangled with the juvenile court system.  THE PROTÉGÉ PROJECT will focus primarily on at-risk African-American and Hispanic male students.  The statistics surrounding these factors are alarming.  Studies show, boys who grow up without the positive male influences are:

• 5 times more likely to commit suicide,
• 8 times more likely to go to prison,
• 9 times more likely to drop out of high school.
• 10 times more likely to abuse drugs.
• 20 times more likely to have behavior problems.

The goal of the program is to identify youths who are going to have a turbulent transition to adulthood and offer positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives. Over time, THE PROTÉGÉ PROJECT will create a learning environment that will be an invaluable resource to young people, aspiring mentors and the community at large.

We are currently recruiting youth, mentors and volunteers to ensure the success of the program. If you are interested in getting involved with our mission and being apart of a winning team dedicated to helping kids reach their full potential, make a decision to join us on for this life-changing program.

It STILL takes a village!

I remember being that little kid in the park who just wanted 'a ball' to play with so I've always believed in giving the next generation of youth 'a ball' and maybe have a positive impact on their lives

College-bound student-athlete who became 1st member of her family to go to college

LSWAA Student Leadership Institute

LSWAA Student Leadership Institute: Young Males on a Path To Greatness

Grooming the future

Athletes using their passion for sports to help make a difference in our communities

Career Day at John Ireland Elementary: Kids Reaching for the Stars

Overcoming Fear: The Only Way Out is Through

-We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

- Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. - German proverb

-Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.
Unknown

There was a town in ancient times which was inside the walls of a large castle. One day a giant stood outside the walls of the town and demanded to fight the champion of the town to the death, for the right to rule over all its people. If no-one came forth the giant promised to destroy the village and everyone living in it.
The people inside the castle walls were very, very afraid. The giant seemed huge and invincible and absolutely terrifying. Surely anyone who fought him was going to a certain death. Even facing the prospect of annihilation of the whole town wasn't enough to inspire anyone to go outside and take him on.
Then a little boy piped up. I'll go he said. His fellow townspeople scoffed at first and then tried to dissuade him when they saw he was serious. Eventually they couldn't dissuade him so they opened the castle gates and pushed him out, before quickly closing and locking them again.
They thought a life of slavery to the giant was preferable to death. Only the little boy knew it wasn't.
So, there he stood. Trembling with his back pressed up against the gates, staring intently at the giant who stood menacingly a short distance away. The little boy was very, very afraid.
Finally he took one step towards the giant, and he thought he noticed something. He took another tentative step and then another, and now he was certain.
The giant was getting smaller.
Gaining courage now, the boy moved steadily towards the giant and with every step the giant became smaller and smaller.
Until, finally the boy was standing right in front of the ex-giant who was now so small, the boy bent down and picked him up in his hands.
Who are you? The boy asked the tiny, trembling creature in his hands.
My name is fear.






Fear: the mere sight of the word makes some of us cringe. It is a feeling we have all dealt with at one time or another. It is something that we first experience as children, and are conditioned to respond to in many different ways. Some of us live in constant fear; of accidents, of bad people doing us harm, or of physical ailments. Others simply take things as they come in life, whether they are good or bad things. In the dictionary, fear is defined as: “a feeling of agitation or anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger.” Fear can also refer to general anxiety, as in “fear of speaking in public” or “fear of open areas”. These fears arise not necessarily from a present or imminent threat, but rather a perceived threat, which to some can be just as scary. For many people fear can be a very unpleasant feeling and it is important that we learn to deal with fear in the best manner possible. So how should we deal with fear? Avoiding it never really makes it go away; we either become paralyzed or defeated. Frantically searching for a quick fix usually just results in unfocused and wasted effort.

The only way to deal with fear is to face it and overcome it. Dale Carnegie explained it this way: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."

You can't overcome what you fear. Everyone has fears in life they MUST face in order to reach your full potential and breakthrough to the next level of living. Remember, The only way to it is through it!

Until our next motivational moment........keep improving!