As an Author, Radio Host, International Speaker and the Founder/CEO @ Help4Men, Help4YoungWomen and Help4YoungMen, over the past 10 years I’ve encouraged teenagers to challenge their assumptions of what they can achieve and where they belong. I’ve used my own business network to put ambitious students together with friends holding senior positions within careers of interest and provided follow-up entrepreneurial guidance. Schoolboys have queued to seek advice, and single mothers have thanked me for engaging with their sons and daughters.

It was a new and somewhat daunting experience for me. It was refreshing and fulfilling to see them sit up when I shared my background and experiences, and then spend time discussing their own ambitions. This is no quick fix, nor will anyone initiative be able to add value to the lives of all young black men. In many cases personal and long-term support is required. But to bring about change, we need to make relevant and successful black young men more visible to a broad audience that also includes parents, teachers and employers. This requires community partnerships, media exposure, funding, and time to build momentum. And for young black men and women who are already academically successful, I’ve witnessed different issues emerge.

My organization, (Help4Men) opened my eyes to the issues facing young black men and women. It is important that such work continues and that aspirations are raised, especially during these trying economic times when the attainment of young black men and women could go into reverse. It’s been a tough year and a tough journey involving a great deal of passionate debate and hard work and there is still a long way to go. Year after year, I’ve experienced the value that it can bring to the lives of young black men and women, and the value that it has brought to the life of one not-so-young black man and women.