16th Circuit District’s Office holds inaugural mentorship day
COLUMBUS, Miss., (WCBI) — Having positive role models early in life can make a big difference in the choices young people make. The 16th Circuit District Attorney’ s office is helping connect those role models with those young people.
The D.A.’s office hosted its inaugural Mentorship Day at the Columbus Boys and Girls Club. Men from the community and members of Alpha Phi Alpha and Omega Psi Phi Fraternities were on hand to teach the boys a few life skills, like how to tie a tie, change a tire, and even some basketball drills.
To combat a growing trend in crime, the 16th Circuit District Attorney’s Office held its inaugural Mentorship Day on Saturday, August 1.
Tina Rogers with the District Attorney’s office says they hope the event will not only continue but will show young men and women in the community that they are not alone. There are people in the community who care for them and want to help.
“If we can teach our young men and young women how to deal with conflict that would be — I think that would catapult us into a different situation,”
Something as simple as taking the time to demonstrate how to tie a tie, how to present himself, how to handle conflict resolution makes a difference in a young man’s life, like Gabriel Hampton, who’s favorite part of the day was learning how to tie a tie. It taught him a new skill.
“Because I did not know how to tie a tie,” Hampton said.
Emmitt Johnson Jr. says for him to see the smiles on the young men’s faces who participated in the event meant a lot and shows the impact that was being made.
Rogers and Johnson both say they hope more events like this will happen to help young men and women realize that they can reach out for help, if they can’t find it at home or from the people around them.
“Because that’s ultimately what the cry out is for, like a lot of times kids just don’t cry out and say, ‘this is what’s wrong or this is what’s going on in my life,’ the way to cry out is to act out sometimes. So, if we have these types of events throughout the community, throughout the year from different organizations that come together. I think it will be amazing.”
Rogers and Johnson say that they hope that the event continues and want it to grow bigger and have more people volunteer.
