An Ace the City’s Youth

by Paul Seiple

was fueled by Hood looking back on some things he missed out on as a child. He wanted to ensure today’s youth have better opportunities. “This drive kept me inspired and the amazing citizens of Danville have been instrumental in the growth of this foundation.”

The ACE (Arts, Culture, and Edutainment) Academy came to being as the first program from Hood’s Stayhood Foundation. He said, “We wanted to present an after-school program that gives youth the ages of 10–15-yearsold an opportunity to gain a portfolio in music, writing, fashion, and photography.”

The ACE Academy is an eightweek course for 10 participants that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “The youth are required to write an essay on why they want to be in the program. We have additional mentors who assist with the program that we call ACE Influencers or A.I.s,” Hood added. The program allows participants to experience working within in each creative field. “Above that, the youth learn how to work together, collaborate on projects, write a song, respect each other, and express themselves while showing their creativity,” Hood said.

He envisioned the ACE Academy to create an outlet for kids to broaden their horizons and explore the positive activities they can carry with them as they grow into adults. Hood added, “It also helps to keep them from getting involved with activities that can be detrimental to their growth. The socialization aspect plays an important role as well.”

He drew on personal experiences as he put The Academy together. “Growing up, we had men in the communities who would always advise us to do better and not to get involved in negative actions that come from being in the streets. My mother became ill with brain tumors when I was 8-years old. The constant trips back and forth to the hospital took a toll on me. Fortunately, my sister and brothers kept me on the right track.” Hood made a promise to his mother before she succumbed to dementia. “I told her I would do all I could to be involved in the community by helping the elders and the youth.”

The program has impacted to date 12 participants. “We decided that by having 10 youth at a time we can give more attention to their individual development.” The ACE Academy is exploring, adding more mentors. “This will allow the Academy to have more youth per course.”

There is an opportunity to become an ACE Influencer for those wanting to help shape our area youth. The process is simple. “These individuals will be required to fill out a form that explains what field they would like to assist in,” Hood added.

Hood would like to see the ACE Academy grow into a full program of expanded curricula hoping to build character throughout the area. He also wants the program to provide resources to help participants with entrepreneurship and ways to give back to the community. “As the youth complete the program, they can return as an ACE Influencer. We want to see our youth excel in society, use the skills provided to encourage them more in education and be all around awesome students and citizens moving forward,” Hood concluded.

Often, I’m asked to write biographies for people who have led interesting lives. Their desire to share their life stories leads them to mention an experience that was a milestone, something so unique that, in their opinion, everyone would be interested in reading about it.

I never disagree.

But, also, I never write their story for them. To explain why I don’t, I mention companies that write biographies for people at a cost of thousands of dollars. They’re easy to find on the Net.

Even then, it’s neither an easy nor an inexpensive task. If you’d like an analogy, consider the most tempting cake you’ve ever seen in a bakery. Although you’ve baked cakes for years, you have no idea how to duplicate the one you were more than willing to purchase.

What I’m about to tell you is how to write your own book, one step at a time. Please don’t think this method will be a shortcut. Instead, think of it as a map that only you can construct because only you know where it will begin, where it will end, and how to get to where it’s going.

I do have one bit of advice: don’t be afraid to begin. The phrase ‘take baby steps’ comes to mind. If you think of your book as a project that you have complete control over, you will enjoy every step of the process.

All you’ll need to begin is a composition book with dividers and BIC pens in different colors. Five or six dollars should be your total initial investment. In your composition book, make sure to list your name, address, and telephone number in case you want to travel with your ‘book’.

Also, have a secure place to store it. As simple an instruction as that may be, that place will become somewhere you will look forward to returning to. Indeed, as your mind and your heart begin to construct your book, you will discover that the storage place has become special too.

There will be times when you will race to get to it, to jot down your thoughts and ideas before you forget them.

And that’s a good sign you have internalized your story, that it is part of your conscious life’s work. In fact, once you have begun, you may want to keep a small notepad with you to jot ideas that come suddenly, often as revelations.

Then congratulate yourself as you transfer them to your composition book because ideas are fleeting and easy to lose. That’s why some people use recorders for their thoughts since they come so unexpectedly.

What’s exciting about the process is that you will get the sense that your mind is unlocking secrets, that it’s uncovering layers of your life that hadn’t been ‘visited’, layers that may have been neglected and treated as insignificant until you shifted your focus to writing a book — about you!

In time, you will sense that you are creating an almost sacred space where secrets and very private thoughts and ideas become highlights. You may regain the sense that your life has been a treasure trove of experiences that are finally getting the close

by Barry Koplen

examination they deserve.

To begin:

1. Divide your composition book into special sections.

2. As you get more involved, you may create new sections, headings for new sets of thoughts and ideas.

3. Initially, you might use categories such as: a. Biography b. Timeline c. Characters, all the people you want to create or include d. Unusual and important events e. List of chapters f. Special items that may be woven in and out of your story g. Titles to consider… this will change many times as you write h. Illustrations? They may be useful. i. Ideas that have yet to find their place in your book

4. Enjoy every moment of this process. Return to it whenever you want.

And treat it with respect for the treasure that it is and will be!