DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

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"How to develop emerging inner city leaders"

I love walking onto campuses and into neighborhoods meeting young leaders. They are everywhere! Diamonds in the rough. In urban spaces, because of the overwhelming obstacles that youth face, high functioning leaders are bred daily! They are the most resilient, highly creative and innovative people in our cities. When you find one, invest in them. Here are some tips to do so effectively.

Find a common ground
Quickly seek to identify their values. Find out what's important to them. Find out what excites them. Ask questions to find a talking point that will carry you out of an awkward beginning into an organic new-found bond. 

Speak in their language
Capture their attention. Be creative. Be willing to be a student of their culture and their language. You don't have to be cool to do so, you simply must have a desire to learn from them, learn about them, and then meet them on their level and elevate them to new heights.

Help them lead from their strengths
Most often, after one encounter, I can identify a young leaders' strengths. Maybe they are articulate, thoughtful, generous, intelligent, creative, or caring. Whatever it is, land on it and work from there. Start with one strength. 

For example, I recently met an amazing young lady named Briana. She came to us from the Long Beach area, and now resides in Pomona with extended family. The first time I met her she was alone, reading a book that caught my eye (because not many students read for fun on our campus lol). I could tell she had much to say, but was isolated and shut in. I, knowing she was intelligent from her ability to read, invited her to write this blog with me about life, struggle and pain. After telling her to write about those three things, within a matter of 10 mins this is what she produced. In my opinion, it's one word, AMAZING!

"Lemme tell you how it is and lemme tell you how it ain't, I was raised in a rough neighborhood, with nothing but these gangs, a lot of sh*t going on baby girl I promise you, we gon keep moving no matter the issue, this world is like a carousel, spinning and moving fast, but life takes time so live in the now, make it last, everybody wanna tell me dis and dat, but no one knows that life brought me nothing but a scandalous hand, it don't end here. As long as I got a plan with the world in my hand, I know I'll be able to stand, I ain't worried bout no man, life goes on and continues to grow, it ain't' easy but baby girl stay, I know how far you can go"
Briana Perez- Park West High 

Thrust them into taking risks
Invite these young leaders, without hesitation, to leap into new waters. Teach them to develop a courage and bravery that leadership requires and that they possess. To respond to opportunities and rise to leadership when others won't.

Empower them and communicate your belief in them
Don't be afraid to pass the baton of leadership to them. Pass over the mantle of leadership willingly. Have them lead in situations that most wouldn't entrust to them. Make sure to communicate your belief in them along the way, as often as possible!

Unpack leadership experiences
Make sure to unpack experiences with them. Ask them questions like:
1. How was that experience for you?
2. How do you think you did?
3. What did you do well? What can you improve upon?
4. Would you be down to do that again? 

-Written by Eric Vasquez

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