CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Just because school is out, learning doesn’t have to take a vacation. Students from the Chattanooga area are getting lessons in leadership at Book T. Washington State Park. The third annual Team Mentoring camp is a Summertime example of, What’s Right With Our Schools.
“Team mentoring Inc. was designed to provide our youth between the ages, boys and girls 11 through 16 with life skills as far as character building communication conflict, resolution integrity. To give them some of the world knowledge at a younger age to help make them some of the productive citizens community leaders that we are in what we’re looking for in the future. So, what we do, we do our scheduling during the school breaks. The spring and the fall we do three-day sessions to provide our youth with opportunities in the medical profession, as well as in the construction profession. Where we have different people come in and speak about their skills and how our kids if they’re not interested in going to college here are other opportunities that they can look at,” said Freddie Brooks, Founder and President of TEAM Mentoring, Inc.
“I’ve learned about new things and seeing people talk to us about a lot of things,” said Tyner Middle School student Hayden Oliver.
“Being away from home, it’s like fun to me and meeting new people and going somewhere new,” said Rebekah Travis, a student Orchard Knob Middle.
“Since I get to learn different things. I can probably help people with the things I’ve learned,” said A’Mya Mathis, a student at CGLA.
“This is an annual event that I take part of with the Bessie Smith Culture Center. They get the chance to learn about the African jobs. They get hands on experience, play games. And we get to know them as they get to know us. This program is very important for the youth here in Chattanooga,” said Arthur Benton, an Educational Program Coordinator at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center.
“So, a lot of these things, they don’t learn in the classroom. So, programs like this, get people that are from the community to come out. To show them different things of life and ways they can communicate with,” said Benton.
“I have a young group of young adults that we talk about communication. So, part of communication is trajectory of your voice,” said Annette Haywood, a Captain with DeKalb County Fire and Rescue.
“How to articulate words. How to present yourself. And so this is just the beginning of one of the exercises that I teach,” said Haywood.
“So, we give them the guidance a little bit. If they take a little bit of what we give them, they’ll take it and they will share it. And they’ll continue and things like that. And so, the goal with any camp, with anything we do, is to make sure they take away a piece of something. To take it into their adult life,” said Haywood.
