YMCA and Davenport schools have partnered together to get students on the right track. Through YMCA solutions students from 4th grade through the teenage years get to hear from mentors that are positive influences.
19 year old D'Angelo Rush is a recent graduate of the Y's Achievers program, and talked to students about how he got into trouble at a young age. "I got into hanging with the wrong crowds," said Rush.
He said the Y's Achievers program helped him turn his life around and he's now trying to have a positive influence on younger kids. One of those kids is 4th grader Amari Roberts, who dreams of being an NBA player and said hearing from Rush has taught him how to reach his goals, "Stay confident and don't do bad stuff because that will not lead you to the NBA," said Roberts.
The boys at Washington Elementary are learning how to choose the type of people they should be friends with. "They're at a time in their life where they need to develop those independent solving skills with each other and those communication skills," said Shannan Child, counselor, Washington Elementary.
Child said learning how to pick their friends and good social skills have helped these students, "I've seen their confidence kinda bloom I've seen them working together with others, not just the ones they have the group with classroom settings."
Roberts enjoyed the learning from the speaker and said it helped him tell the superheroes from the villains, "We can just ignore them if they try to tell us to do something bad and I won't fall for it, cuz I'm smart."