As the end of Bridge draws near, there is much to be done here at the Priory site. On a daily basis you will find the teachers, students, and volunteers bustling around in an effort to prepare for the culminating events that take place next week. In addition to graduation and the surprise field trip on Friday, I'm collaborating with one of our teachers, Sean S, to put together an art show that will take place next week. This will give students the chance to show off their impressive work in Photography and Art & Leadership.
In the midst of this busy schedule, we took a break this afternoon to listen to an inspiring speaker. Douglas J. Fort, the Founder and Director of Intervention at For Youth By Youth, certainly made an impact today. If one were to gaze around the room, it would be quite obvious that he had everyone hooked. Fort simply had a way with the students. He put himself down on their level and connected with them instantly. He began his speech by asking everyone in the room to reveal their name, grade, and favorite food. Fort really wanted to know something about everyone. It was a nice way to engage students and prepare them for the important message he was about to deliver.
Fort then continued to give the audience an active role in his speech. He took a poll inquiring about the population of students that listen to music artists such as Mac Dre and Lil' Wayne. Around 90% of students in the room eagerly raised their hands. According to Fort, this means that nearly every student in the room listens to music artists who glorify drug dealing and other destructive behaviors. He then took it to a new level and asked about the exposure they've had relating to issues such as drugs, alcohol, gang activity, suicide, and teenage pregnancy. As one of the students was writing all of these percentages on the white board, jaws were dropping around the room. Around 75% of rising eighth graders at Priory Bridge have been involved or have peers that are involved with drinking. The same percentage have either considered suicide or had friends that have considered/committed suicide. About 70% are associated with or know people that are associated with gang activity. A little over 65% have been exposed to drugs or have friends that do drugs. And around 25% have been exposed to teenage pregnancy or know someone their age that is pregnant. These percentages are mind blowing when you consider that the average age of the audience was 12 years old.
Next, Fort pulled two students out of the audience, and asked them what their dreams were. The first student said that she wanted to be a psychologist, and the second said that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. After they responded, Fort drew a map on the board that outlined the steps these students need to take in order to achieve their dreams. He then made a connection between the shocking percentages and the concept of achieving dreams.He firmly made the point that behaviors such as drinking and teenage pregnancy kill dreams.They are destructive not only to society, but also on an individual basis.
After polling the students to find out what their job interests were, Fort boldly pointed out that despite the 2% of students who were interested in becoming lawyers, there are over 75%, including those students, who are involved or know someone involved with drinking and gang activity. This is the reality that they live, but it's escapable according to Fort.To prove
this, he revealed his own personal turmoil, and the steps he took to overcome it. He recalled the regretful memory of being kicked out of middle school in Redwood City, and nearly losing his life from gun shot wounds when he was dealing drugs in the eight grade.In 1998, he gave up this lifestyle and went on to found the organization titled For Youth By Youth.Since then, he has been reaching out to the youth in his community and helping them to see the possibilities of what they can achieve.
Fort reiterated the message that is imperative not to give into destructive influences. He contrasted the term "fear-ship" with "friendship" to explain how dangerous it can be to succumb to peer pressure, and to develop relationships with people that don't have your best interest in mind. Fort shared his great sense of humor, and intertwined these heavy messages with anecdotes on adolescent dating.
When one of the teachers at Bridge asked him to talk a little bit about ignorance and how it's played out in society, he explained in simple terms: "Ignorance is just not knowing, but when you know something and don't do anything about it, that's a problem." To avoid ignorance, Fort encourages students to engage in healthy dating, to find "like minds," and to get
involved with clubs that connect to their interests when they get into high school. Fort was so well received by the audience that when he finished his speech, he was given the loudest applause I've heard this summer. When asked about his impressions, student Jarid P. responds positively. "I thought it was interesting and a very good learning experience. It was a bit funny too." It is encouraging to see students so receptive towards Fort and the wisdom he had to offer. I'm sure his speech will have a lasting impact on them.