A b e c e d a r i a n

I try to give back to the program by giving them my support in any way that I can. As far as job offerings, any college programs I am aware of, anything in that capacity. The program basically consisted of the people who were willing to give. If people are not giving, then there is no program. So we have to continue. If I can in any way give something to the program, even if it's to one kid, you know have them come up and visit me t school or having them intern with me at one of my jobs...that's a lot, that's a lot right there.

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If we did not knock at the door of Lincoln Academy, what would have been different...

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I think about that all the time....David...I don't even know where I would be, definitely not where I am or who I am today. I know that much. I'd probably be lost in the streets. I'm not even sure. I don't even want to think about where... what route I would have taken if it wasn't for the program, the people in the program.

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What do you remember most ?

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This is something I speak about all the time now. When it got to the point when I thought I was gonna drop out of high school. I was scared and embarrassed to talk to anyone. I was ashamed. I felt alone. And I felt like a failure. But coming to the program and asking for help and having you and Maureen go with me to school and help me speak to my teachers....which in the end I went back and did very well...That's the most important thing that happened to me in the program.

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School and Liberty

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It was definitely different as far as the interactions between teachers and students, or any adults and any younger students. It's very different. I guess in school you're not really a person. They can't help it with the amount of students they get. Especially in the public schools. The amount they have in one school building is too many for teachers or the right people to get to know students, and know what they're going through and maybe help them out if they need it. You really can't. A teacher in a big school with 2000 kids cannot really tell what a student has been going through and to help a student out if they can't speak for themselves. I think here at the program...the counselors pay so much attention to the students that they can sort of tell what the students' needs are and help them grow in any way they can. As far as the classes that we do here, they're very different. Very different than they are in the schools. We come into the classrooms and there really is a teacher student relationship. Everyone here is equal and we're all here to learn from each other, that includes the teachers learning from the student from the Liberty student and the students learning from the counselors and the teachers. It just made a huge difference in the way we learned. There was a lot of hands-on. Our field trips down to the reservoir. Things like that. There was a lot of hands on. Grasping a video camera and learning how to use it and video taping. It's very different. Very different.

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At school it was very hard for me personally. Feeling like it didn't matter if I went to school or not because nobody knew, nobody really cared. They didn't have time. It was really hard. It made me very angry, very sad, but it also made me feel like I wasn't worth it and that I didn't matter. All that did was push me further into the streets....Also coming from the families we come from, it's really hard. A lot of us are yearning for attention and approval and belonging and if we're not getting that in the schools, obviously we find different ways. And most of the time, it's not good at all.

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What Liberty provided I feel that the Liberty program taught me everything I needed to know about going into college, going into "adulthood" whatever that means, the working world-- as far as "Speaking up" learning about yourself, your limits and when to ask for help.

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At Risk

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That's our label isn't it, David, I never really understood what that meant, but at risk of dropping out of school....Falling into the drug world, into the wrong crowds. And just never making it out.
 

Underprivileged

Isn't that what we all are too? Underprivileged?

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Culturally Deprived

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Not having your culture accounted for. That effects us big time, especially when we're in school, like when we take exams and stuff like that. The teachers are not really aware of the different cultures that the students come from and don't take that into consideration. They all assume that if you're not familiar with mainstream, than you're just not smart.

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Labels

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All the time . All the time. I'm always fighting a label. Something that I can never get away from. It's one of the things I learned: I can't keep fighting labels... I can't consume my time fighting things that people are throwing at me. I just have to do for myself. And sort of disregard people because they're always gonna be there to push you down, hold you down in any way that they can. Especially Us: underprivileged at risk inner city youth.
 

Hope

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Hope is what I try to give my brothers and sisters. Is what the people in this program gave me and felt for me and that's what's helping me achieve. It's what I have for this program . And it's existence.

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Trust

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Without trust we can't learn. Without trust we can't really communicate with each other. Trusting each other is something this program has taught us, because if we can't trust each other, we can't ask each other for help especially the kids, especially the younger kids.

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Mistakes

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That's the only way we can learn from life and do a better job. We're always going to make mistakes. Sometimes, we make big mistakes. As long as we know how to accept what we have done and learn from it. Then we'll be fine. Then we can move on and do a better job next time.

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Future

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Is what we're trying to give every student in the program, their own unique future, but definitely a future filled with opportunities, equal opportunities.