I work with youth most of the time and some families as well. That’s my life’s purpose. I mean, those kiddos keep you real, they keep you authentic. My work with them is important for them, but it’s also important for me. The reason I started working with children is that I’m from a different culture where I was raised by the village. Literally raised by the village. In this society there’s a push to raise kids in a nuclear family or a single parent household. And that’s not sustainable or practical.
This is why places like the Boys & Girls Club and Urban League of Portland are part of the village. We are an integral part of the village. We help with the growing minds and bodies of youth. Because parents can’t do it by themselves.
So I would be what they call aunty/educator/artist/community health worker for our youth. And I work to create a safe place for them where they discover and appreciate that they can be themselves. They have their own voice and they can make great, wonderful mistakes without punitive repercussions. It’s okay to make mistakes. They learn from them. They learn to work with each other, and that’s what real life is about. They learn the value of their own words, and actions, and what that means for the classroom and society at large.
I teach drumming and dance, mostly West African dance. Dances from Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Senegal. So we’re learning about movement. We’re discovering and owning our bodies, whatever shape and size they may be. We’re learning about different cultures, cultures beyond our own. Exploring different worlds beyond our own and our neighborhoods.
So why Boys & Girls Clubs?
That came as an accident. I started working with families at New Columbia. And I’ve worked for Portland Parks for 11 years and Charles Jordan community center is right there. I never knew about the Regence Club. And someone told me that it was right around the corner. So of course I went and it was bustling, chaotic and wonderful with kids. I spoke with Matthew and I was welcomed with open arms. The kiddos here, they used to being free, loud, and I liked that.
They had a room where I could teach dance without any distractions. It’s important where they have a center with different sites for different activities.
It’s a clean environment. The kids know each other. So they’re really comfortable making mistakes because they’ve known each other forever. They go to the same schools, live in the same neighborhood. So it was an easy place for me to step into where kids were motivated, they weren’t shy, they weren’t forced to be there. They were happy and comfortable in the space.
Boys & Girls Club just gave me a space that was really conducive to what Urban League is doing – uplifting , educating, empowering children and their family.
I can definitely see some overlap with the two programs. How do you see Boys & Girls Clubs impacting youth?
The best part of Boys & Girls Club is really the rambunctious environment. For some people it’s like “oh my goodness!” But what I see is that there’s no fear. And I really appreciate that. There’s no fear in them. They’re out there, they’re expressive, explosive and joyful. What else do you want from kids? And all you need to do is usher that and guide that appropriately.
There’s a foundation there where someone like me can come and add to it. It’s a garden. There are different herbs and spices and fruits, but the ground is fertile at Boys & Girls Clubs. So me (Educator/Artist) and others come in and we prune here and there, we add a stick there to hold up a plant, we water it, we make sure we expose it to the sun, but it’s a fertile ground for endless possibilities for the children, for me, and for the communities we live in and beyond.
Describe Boys & Girls Clubs in one word.
Rambunctious!
Anything else?
I aim to give youth the truth they need for real life. Real life is beautiful, and it’s also cruel. We need to be real with them. Piece by piece, of course, and age appropriate. I want to give them the tools to be able to embrace the beauty of life but be able to have reasonable, peaceful, practical, resolutions to their problems. They’re already resilient. So all I have to do is encourage that, build on that.
At the end of the day, I just want them to be a part of the solution. A working, active part of the solution. And not just be wallpaper. We don’t need wallpaper. We need action. Those kids are going to stand up for themselves and each other.
