When Mentees Become Mentors. Interviewing Two of our Rising Educators, Jayvon and Djibril
One of the best things that happens here at The B.R.O. Experience is when our students become the teachers. This year, two of our Little BRO Summer Camp educators were recruited from our BRO X Rites of Passage high school program. Jayvon Granvil and Djibril Dialo, who are both heading into their senior year of high school and final year of Rites of Passage, have joined the team delivering Little BRO Saturdays and Little BRO Summer Camp.
We asked them for reflections on their own experiences and their new roles helping to educate their little bro’s.
Jayvon Granvil
What unique perspectives or experiences do you bring to your role as a young educator and a man of color at Little BRO Summer Camp?
Jayvon: Being able to understand the kids and why they act the way they do most of the time. I was once in their shoes as a kid and most of the time the people brought in to “help” don’t even know how or what they are helping with.
How has being part of the B.R.O. Experience program impacted your personal growth and development as a mentor for younger boys?
Jayvon: The B.R.O. Experience has impacted my personal life by making me more socially and emotionally aware, providing insight on why when I’m mentoring I don’t get frustrated but engaged to see these young boys react the way they do when things aren’t in their favor.
Can you share a particularly rewarding moment or success story from your time working with the young participants at the summer camp?
Jayvon: A rewarding time at summer camp is when I was speaking to a student named Josiah because he wasn’t doing the right thing, but he was able to speak to me about how he felt and gave a reason why he was doing what he did instead of shutting me out and just being silent.”
How do you envision the future of mentorship and education for young men of color?
Jayvon: I envision the future as young boys being able to keep the spark that they hold tightly throughout their lives, but also being aware of how to share that spark in correct manners.”
Djibril Dialo
What unique perspectives or experiences do you bring to your role as a young educator and a man of color at Little BRO Summer Camp?
Djibril: Growing up, I’d never seen something like The B.R.O. Experience actually succeed in influencing young black boys for the better. Usually I’d see many young black boys grow up into young black men quickly by becoming products of their environment and not being allowed to discover themselves first. Not to say I was teetering on that path but The B.R.O. Experience really helped me with my own path and helped discover my own self worth that I’ve never seen in a program before. I want to use the tools that they’ve given me and instill them in the younger generation growing up in a new field of life.”
How has being part of the B.R.O. Experience program impacted your personal growth and development as a mentor for younger boys?
Djibril: Being part of BRO made me realize the leadership position I can hold within my own life and has increased my overall intentionality. As a mentor for these young boys, I want to teach them to be themselves and set an example like how I am to them.”
Can you share a particularly rewarding moment or success story from your time working with the young participants at the summer camp?
Djibril: Seeing the educational progress these boys have shown throughout my time with them. I always believed that they had it in them but weren’t given the platform to express themselves academically. Now that they’re given that chance, it really shows an incremental change.
How do you envision the future of mentorship and education for young men of color?
Djibril: I feel like the future rests on how much change we want to see in the next generation of black children. If we show no initiative, the children definitely see that and so the next generation will have the same problem. This program is wired to have a positive change in the black community.
In a world where the voices of youth often go unheard and the power of mentorship remains untapped, the testimonies of Jayvon Granvil and Djibril Dialo stand as catalysts for introspection and action. Their impassioned narratives reveal the potential within every young soul and underscore the pivotal role of dedicated mentors in unleashing this potential. As we contemplate the future of education and empowerment, let us heed the call of empathy, understanding, and authenticity that resonates through these stories. The path to nurturing resilient, empowered youth is paved with intentionality, compassion, and unwavering support.
