No Arms, No Legs, No Worries—a You Tube Broadcast featuring Nick Vujicic

WOW!  Talk about a positive role model and mentor!  Have you had the opportunity to either see in person or view You Tube videos featuring Nick Vujicic?  To give you a little background, Nick was born with no arms or legs (although he does have a foot of sorts which he calls his chicken wing) in Australia.  He now lives in Los Angeles and makes his living as a motivational speaker, especially with young people.  His message is to dream big and never give up. 

Nick shares the challenges he had growing up.  He shares how he was depressed thinking about how he wished his life was different and that he kept asking himself the question, “Why me?”  He said he worried that he would lead a life without purpose.  However, because of the love of his family and the constant encouragement of his parents, he developed hope.  He discovered his value, his purpose and his destiny.  He shares that encouragement takes you closer to the possibilities that are within you, while discouragement takes you further away.  He also shares that if you leave a seed of doubt and discouragement in your heart, it will grow and it will continue to try and take you over and have you “die” to the possibility of yourself.

At the end of a presentation with high school students in El Centro, California he says, “I love you and you’re beautiful just the way you are!” 

If you haven’t seen Nick, please take the time to do so today. Look at yourself after watching this video see No Arms, No Legs, No Worries 

You can invest in the role models and mentors who work with youth every day in afterschool programs.  Check Entrusted Legacy out at www.entrustedlegacy.org or by contacting us at support@entrustedlegacy.org  

Your Words and Thoughts Have Physical Power—Thoughts From Will Smith

The list of movies that Will Smith has starred in range from the portrayal of real people in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness to science fiction thrillers, Men In Black (1, 2, and 3) I, Robot, Independence Day, and I Am Legend, and generally likable characters in Wild, Wild West and Hancock.  He began his career as a rapper and the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV comedy.  But perhaps he is most interesting for his candid conversations about the importance of committing “ourselves to something and making it real in the universe.”  In a collection of Will Smith interviews, captured in a single see:
Your words and thoughts have physical power - Will Smith 
Smith talks about his beliefs and world view.  He begins by saying, “I love living—you can’t fake it.” 

Will shares that it is important to believe you can accomplish the impossible.  He says that being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.  He illustrates his point by sharing how unrealistic it was to think you could walk into a room, flip a switch and have instant light—until Edison made it so.  And that it was equally unrealistic that you could shape metal in a certain way and fly—until of course the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk.  He goes on to say that you don’t start out trying to build the biggest brick wall in the world, instead you start by laying the best brick as perfectly as you can and then adding another and another in the same way until you have reached your goal. 

As an obvious positive role model and mentor, Will encourages people to commit themselves to making a difference and changing someone else’s life for the better.  This commitment begins with a choice and according to Smith, there is a redemptive power in making a choice—in knowing who you are working to become and how you will get there.  We all have an opportunity to make a difference and can do something to change the world, both directly and indirectly.  We need to find a cause we believe in and then go to work.

At Entrusted Legacy our cause is simple.  We believe that every youth needs to have a positive role model and mentor that they can connect with on a regular basis.  We also believe that the afterschool space is perfect for this interaction because of the adults who have the desire to work with kids.  We encourage you to join with Entrusted Legacy to sponsor afterschool professionals as they become the mentors and role models that they would like to be and our youth deserve.  Check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or contact us a support@entrustedlegacy.org

Entrusted Legacy’s Work

Entrusted Legacy’s bottom line is to holistically train adults to be personally and professionally effective.  ETL’s efforts are focused on adults who work with youth. Developing positive role models who effectively demonstrate the capacity, character and competency to practice the advanced citizenship required in a global society, is our quest. Entrusted Legacy is committed to the notion that “it takes a village” to positively influence the choices our next generation of adults make. From pre-schoolers to young adults, we must provide opportunities for youth to prepare and practice for the real adult world.  

When youth are involved with a well-trained role model and mentor, they are being prepared to be a self-sufficient adult who can build positive relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, and practice advanced citizenship by giving back to the community. Educating youth by example makes the metamorphosis of becoming a self-reflective adult an empowering instead of an enabling process. Just as caterpillars turn into butterflies, our youth will turn into adults, and our efforts will help them to become contributing members of society—teachers, ministers, bankers, construction workers, doctors and nurses, entertainers, service-industry professionals, and certainly parents of the next generation.

With the support of Southern California Edison and Consult 4 Kids, Entrusted Legacy has provided the DowneyASPIRE program with both online and face-to-face training.  We captured this training through pictures.  

Each person has a unique contribution to make to the world and certainly people cannot be duplicated. However, this ETL system of education, complete with best practices employed to unleash the power of youth, can be endlessly replicated. For us, it is not a question of “if” you get involved, but rather a question of “how” will you get involved. Entrust your legacy to us. Volunteer your time, give financially or introduce us to others who might be interested in volunteering time, giving financially or better yet, do all three! Impact the lives of youth everywhere. The greatest education in the world without the ability to implement successfully is futile. Join us as we empower current and future citizens.

Check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org or by contacting us at support@entrustedlegacy.org

Everyone Needs A Mentor

Entrusted Legacy’s mission is to see to it the people who work with kids in afterschool programs have the training and development they need to be a positive role model and mentor.  The importance of positive role models has been documented.  The Health and Guidance Organization says “Role models are highly important for us psychologically, helping to guide us through life during our development, to make important decisions that affect the outcome of our lives, and to help us find happiness in later life.”  

"The Health Guidance for Better Health "  They go on to say, “A good role model should be someone hard working, creative, free thinking and moral.”  At Entrusted Legacy we believe that we can connect people to the training they need to be successful. 

Role modeling and mentoring go hand in hand.  Mentors provide guidance, inspiration and an "Engine"  that catapults the student farther and faster than [he/she] would by [his/her]s own means. To be a mentor is to leave a legacy to a fellow human being and hence to society at large. Mentoring has long been a tradition of humanity. It is the way we learn naturally.”  Mirna Santana "The Importance of Having a Mentor"

The United States Justice Department agrees.  Public Service announcements tout the importance of becoming a mentor to the youth in your own neighborhood and community.  Eric Holder, Attorney General states, “Join with the Justice Department in defending childhood.” 

We encourage you to join with Entrusted Legacy to sponsor afterschool professionals as they become the mentors and role models that they would like to be and our youth deserve.  Check out our website at "Entrusted Legacy" or contact us a support@entrustedlegacy.org

ASPIRE Program in Downey

Entrusted Legacy’s bottom line is to holistically train adults to be personally and professionally effective. ETL’s efforts are focused on adults who work with youth. Developing positive role models who effectively demonstrate the capacity, character and competency to practice the advanced citizenship required in a global society, is our quest. Entrusted Legacy is committed to the notion that “it takes a village” to positively influence the choices our next generation of adults make. From pre-schoolers to young adults, we must provide opportunities for youth to prepare and practice for the real adult world. Systematically we teach adults to routinely demonstrate and practice prevention strategies with youth, rather than waiting for problems to occur and having to implement intervention strategies.

This year with the support of Southern California Edison, ETL was able to bring a comprehensive staff development system to the ASPIRE afterschool staff in Downey, California. “The goal of ASPIRE is to provide a fun, positive, and safe learning environment. The program operates school days only from school dismissal until 6 p.m. ASPIRE students are provided with homework assistance, enrichment components on enhancing educational skills, and encouraging healthy life choices. The enrichment program is geared to be fun and educational for both the elementary and middle school sites.”  Michelle Jenny from ASPIRE had this to say:

“Consult 4 Kids is an important website for the afterschool field. Being able to provide technical assistance to staff at any time is invaluable. With less time and resources for in-person training, this website fills the void. Being able to assign videos or to have staff explore on their own provides flexibility. We are so grateful to Consult 4 Kids, Entrusted Legacy, and Southern California Edison for their contributions to make it possible for ASPIRE to use the website’s services. We hope to continue this partnership and hope to have funds in the future to be able to purchase this on our own.” 

On March 16, 2013, Entrusted Legacy sponsored a face-to-face training for the ASPIRE staff.  Stay tuned for pictures and comments.  

Leveling the Playing Field

Entrusted Legacy is committed to social justice and change and the development of people so they can practice the advanced citizenship necessary in a global society.  We are convinced that the path to ultimate success is not littered with people you have dominated, but rather with a cadre of people you have lifted up.  And so we work to “level the playing field.”

Closing both the achievement and opportunity gaps for young people is essential to create a society based on the principles of equality and valuing the dignity of every human being that is at the center of social justice.  People have captured this notion in a variety of ways.  We believe, as does the International Labor Organization, that a lasting, global peace must be founded on social justice.  We agree with Bill Harley when he sings:

                                             “We all live in the Milky Way; The Milky Way’s our galaxy

We all live in the Milky Way, It’s home to you and me.”

The lyrics go on to spell out that, “In that galaxy, there’s a star, and around the star a planet spins, and on the planet there is a fine sea which surrounds a land, that has a town, with a street and a fine house with a person in it—you or me, and we all live in a galaxy that’s home for us all.”  We accept Thomas Friedman’s pronouncement that the “World Is Flat,” and believe along with Tony Wagner that it is essential to close the “Global Achievement Gap.”  Perhaps most importantly we believe in the words of Margaret Mead:

“Never underestimate the power

of a small group of committed people 

to change the world. In fact

 it is the only thing that ever has.”

Join with us in our efforts to level the playing field, one school, one neighborhood, one afterschool program at a time.Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org to discover how you can help bring social justice to all youth.

Everyone Needs A Mentor

At Entrusted Legacy we believe in the “Big E,” that is “Everyone.”  We believe that if everyone does a little, if everyone learns how to be a positive role model and mentor, that we can change the world.  We know that being with an effective role model and mentor can change lives.  We know this because we can think about our own role models and mentors, both past and present, and the things we’ve learned from them.

Interestingly, in the play, Wicked, there is a lyric that captures the importance of having a positive role model and mentor:

“I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun,

Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood…

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

When we think about leaving a legacy, what better way to do this than to have someone say, “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”  Mentoring is like throwing a rock into a placid lake.  The ripples begin in the center where the rock plunged, but the effects of that plunge can stretch to the edges of the lake, making an impact all along the way.  This is how we leave a legacy—we “Pay It Forward!” Let us know how you are being a positive role model and mentor for youth.  Share your stories with us at support@entrustedlegacy.org