Creating A New Reality
YBM Leadership Alliance Newsletter THIRD QUARTER EDITION
NOVEMBER 2015
YBM program impacts many lives Welcome to the third edition of our digital newsletter. We are pleased with the response that we have received and look forward to continuing to share information about our programs and activities with you. We continue to
develop the advancement of our young men as they pick up the baton and pass the message along to their peers. We are at a critical time in assisting our young men in acquiring the needed skills for educational achievement. Your involvement, whether a
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contribution of personal time or a financial investment, is very important to our success. Please give some thought to contributing to our efforts at YBM. We assure you that there will be a positive return on your investment.
John Martin receives well deserved awards! YBM Leadership Alliance is proud to announce that John Martin, CEO and Founder of YBM, was honored as a recipient of the Gabe’s Heart Foundation Big Heart Award! The foundation issues these awards to the “unsung heroes” of our community to highlight their good deeds. Congratulations to John Martin for a well-deserved honor, and a big thank you to the Gabe’s Heart Foundation for recognizing him for being someone who works far harder and more consistently than most are aware of, has unwavering belief in our young men, and an unwavering commitment to the effort to Create A New Reality. Mr. Martin was also one of the winners of the
John and Tammy Martin Black Political Caucus of Charlotte’s Robert Davis Award. Mr. Davis was the first black chairman of the Mecklenburg Democratic Party and one of the founding members of the county’s black political caucus. This honor is awarded to individuals who serve the community in an effective and selfless manner. YBM, under Mr. Martin’s leadership, has touched the lives of over 6,500 young men since its inception in 2006. John’s commitment to improving the lives and careers of these young men, as well as the communities 2
in which they reside, is outstanding. Mr. Martin exemplifies the verse from Philippians that states, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourself.”
Ambassador and Parent Orientation
THE AMBASSADOR AND PARENT ORIENTATION event was held on July 19th
at the YBM office. This session was designed to bring the newly selected Ambassadors and their parents awareness of their responsibilities and to share the expectations involved with this commitment.
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Executive Leadership Luncheon
THE JULY 21ST EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON This event was held at Dressler’s Restaurant on Metropolitan Avenue. The keynote speaker was Tim Atwell, SVP Technology Executive and Enterprise
CIO Group at Bank of America. Tim did a great job of discussing technology changes within our world. Emphasis was placed on hand-held devices and the impact that they are having 4
in the banking industry, as well as all commercial enterprises. Tim also discussed how important it is for each of us to have a board of directors to help guide our personal and professional paths.
Executive Leadership Luncheon for Ambassadors
THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON FOR AMBASSADORS
Keynote speaker was Dr. Tommy Watson, award-winning author and professional executive coach.
event was held at Dressler’s midtown location on August 20th. The purpose of this gathering was to expose our Ambassadors to area executives to allow networking with a variety of career professionals, and to encourage job shadowing and intern opportunities. We also wanted to ensure that the attending executives had a clear understanding of YBM and our missions. 5
Young Black Women Leadership Luncheon
THE YOUNG BLACK WOMEN LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON This event was held at Dressler’s midtown on August 20th. This was the pilot program for Young Black Women of Charlotte. There were twenty young women and eleven professional women in attendance. Melissa Nixon, a motivational speaker, was the keynote speaker. She spoke to the young women about taking their position at the table and “owning it” because they have earned it. She also discussed the benefits of networking and how to build quality relationships with the people they want to emulate. Many of the young women were given career contacts by the professional women. YBW will host 2 more quarterly luncheons for the women as a part of this pilot program. The next date will be November 11th. Please contact Tammy at TMartin@ybmleadership.com if you would like to participate. The Young Black Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series is affiliated with YBM Leadership Alliance. Learn more about YBM at www.ybmleadership.com
Confident & Prepared for Su cce ss:
Young Black Women’s Leadership Luncheon Series Bringing together young black women between the ages of 14-18, this quarterly luncheon series will expose attendees to African-American women leaders and professionals who will share what it means to be
confident and ready to achieve personal goals.
Along with the young women attending the luncheons, professional women from across industries and disciplines will be invited to speak, sponsor students, and actively participate in luncheon discussions.
Each encounter will be a vibrant exchange of advice, guidance, and inspiration.
Melissa Nixon
DATE:
Back-to-School Success August 20, 2015
TIME:
11:45 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
TOPIC:
LOCATION:
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1100 Metropolitan Ave, #125 . Charlotte, NC
Melissa Nixon Melissa is a professional speaker, trainer, and leadership coach. SPEAKER:
Parent Workshop
THE PARENT WORKSHOP
event was held on September 12th at ITT College. Handouts were given to parents, including FASFA information,
information about scholarships, and different opportunities available to the student and parent in preparing for college. The “ice breaker” was having the parents take a quiz
called, “Am I a Helicopter Parent?” This quiz allowed the parents to self-assess how they were going to handle their child going off to college.
Thank You to our Ambassador Parents!
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YBM LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE
2015 MISSION TRIP TO
Haiti
Creating A New Reality! 8
Executive Summary The YBM Haiti Mission trip was an awesome, life changing experience. The mission team spent time in devotion, prayer, service, global leadership workshops and cultural exchange with the people of Haiti. The mission team included six YBM high school and college students, five YBM mentors, six young Haitian leaders, two volunteers from Heartline Ministries, one tour guide from Heartline Ministries, and two Haitian interpreters/bodyguards.
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The expanded mission team traveled across Port-au-Prince Haiti sharing a message of compassion, love and service. During the trip, the team had the opportunity to attend a Haitian church service in a local village, visit a teen summer camp for girls, and serve at two orphanages. The team also increased their cultural intelligence by participating in a cultural exchange with 6 young Haitian male leaders. The Haitian males and our young leaders spent time together fellowshipping, serving and educating one another during the entire trip. The addition of the cultural exchange with the Haitian young men was a tremendous enhancement from the previous mission. The entire mission team especially the YBM and Haitian young leaders benefited greatly from the deeper exchange experience with the Haitian leaders. The team also had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of Haiti by visiting several traditional Haitian locations including downtown Port-au-Prince, a Haitian store, Lake Azuei, and the beautiful Wahoo beach. This trip was a tremendous success as the team provided shoes, prayers and hugs to over 250 children and adults of Haiti. The team provided 392 meals and served over 500 hours. This trip also allowed the young men to gain valuable international experience while exercising their leadership skills. The mission trip environment allowed the YBM adult leaders to model servant leadership, compassion, execution and excellence in real-time. We look forward to expanding our international service work and global impact in our goal of Creating A New Reality by developing the next generation of leaders. A special thanks to South Charlotte Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and to all the donors who made this mission trip a reality! 10 4
YBM
Mission Trip
IMPACT NUMBERS
1024
Provided 1024 pairs of shoes
250
Played with, washed the feet of and prayed over 250 Haitian children
392
Provided 392 meals for Haitian Children
500
Served over 500 hours
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Engaged in leadership development and cultural exchange with 6 Haitian leaders
For more information and pictures about our Haiti trip, please click link below. http://www.ybmleadership.com/ybm-haiti-mission-trip-tremendous-success/
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Top 100 Scholars Program TOP 100 HAS BEEN RENAMED TO TOP SCHOLARS PROGRAM The YBM Top Scholars of Charlotte Program highlights the achievements of outstanding young black male high school juniors. The program recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas academic, leadership, extracurricular and community service. Top Scholars are highlighted in the YBM Top Scholars publication, attend a recognition ceremony and compete for YBM college scholarships. The participants will also have the opportunity to participate in college prep workshops that focus on SAT prep, college selection, college application submission and scholarship acquisition.
Registration is NOW OPEN until December 1, 2015 Acceptance notification starts in November 2015 Program starts January 3, 2016 REGISTER ONLINE AT: http://www.ybmleadership.com/2016-top-scholars-registration-now-open 12
LaMarcus Smith-Kelley Throughout my time at UCLA, I have placed a big emphasis on networking. The skills I have learned as a YBM ambassador have helped me to actively build an influential network as a freshman and continue to step out of my comfort zone in a new city. Currently, I am working mentoring California high students in the surrounding communities and working to increase the awareness of black excellence as a committee member of the Afrikan Student Union (ASU). I hope to create as great of an impact for African American students in LA as YBM achieves in NC. ~ LaMarcus Smith-Kelley
Harold Lowe One of the most important things to me was making sure that I maintained my character and integrity in college, so I have made a conscious effort to create community service projects on campus and to bring a YBM chapter to Greensboro. Having the YBM leaders, including Mr. John Martin, Ms. Tammy Reed, Mr. Tony Reed, Mr. Ken Currence, Mr. Raki McGregor, Mr. Allen Anderson, and Senator Joel Ford, as my mentors has helped to always reinforce and reiterate the values I learned from the organization. ~ Harold Lowe
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William Gibson I am a senior at Rocky River High School. I currently serve as Senior Council President and a National Honors Society member, in addition to being involved in several other extracurricular activities in my school and my community. YBM has inspired me to become an “agent of change� by spreading positivity, speaking truth to power, and accepting people for who they are. I am very enthusiastic about my future and what is in store for me because I now know that I can reach great heights on my journey while leaving a positive and monumental impact in society. ~ William Gibson
Tony Wright I feel that YBM has transformed me, not only as a leader, but also as a person, shaping me to be an excellent leader. It has exposed me to other African Americans who are successful and have been on the path that I am currently taking. YBM is better preparing me for my future and getting me ready for college by having me participate in classes that help us assemble the perfect college and scholarship application. YBM means so much to me because they care tremendously about my future and the futures of my fellow ambassadors. I can see now that I will keep YBM with me for the rest of my life. ~ Tony Wright 14
6th Annual
Purchase your ticket online 15at www.ybmleadership.com
Thank you to the financial supporters of the YBM mission.
YOU are making a real difference in our community! We cannot express how grateful we are for YOU! If you are looking for a place where your gift can make a difference in the lives of those living in our community, on campuses all across our country, and eventually the world - look no further! You can simply go to the link below, and then scroll down the page and choose how to give either a one time gift or on a recurring monthly basis.
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/ybmleadership
YOU ARE AWESOME!
WE THANK YOU!!! This month we would like to publicly express our sincere thanks to Tangela Davis and Jane Frankart for their gifts. They have stated their reasons for doing so as: “YBM is America’s model in leading the way for developing young black leaders within our families and communities!” ~ Tangela Davis, NC
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“This summer, my daughter and I were blessed to work in the mission field with a fine group of future leaders in Haiti. These young men who are being mentored by YBM Leadership Alliance are stepping up in their schools, communities, and churches and being the leaders that God calls all men to be. When I saw an opportunity to help financially support an organization that is successfully guiding young men in this direction, I felt compelled to do so! At the heart of all successful marriages, families, communities, and countries stands a man of integrity. I am so looking forward to seeing these young men rise up and have a positive impact in the lives, workplaces, and communities that they will touch in their futures.” ~ Jane Frankart, Ohio
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UPCOMING EVENTS
11/6 - YBM Evening of Excellence Gala Featuring The King of Strings Ken Ford 11/11 - Executive Leadership Luncheon at Dressler’s Metropolitan 11/14 - Greensboro, NC - North Carolina A&T State University’s Fall Open House, for high school juniors and seniors. For more information, contact Allen K. Anderson at 704-620-2120
11/21 - YBW Luncheon Series- Part 2 at Napa on Providence
12/20 - Alumni Ambassador Celebration
For questions and event information contact: Ken Currence at currenoct@carolina.rr.com
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President’s Corner Hello Everyone! Great things are happening. As you will see from the phenomenal impact and outcomes our young men are having around the globe, YBM truly is Creating A New Reality. I am so very proud of the work of our leaders. Many of you know that YBM takes a unique perspective in that We Believe that young black men are America’s most under utilized assets. Our goal is to help young black men reach their highest potential through leadership training, service and education. As John Maxwell stated, “Leaders who produce other leaders multiply their influence.” YBM’s primary goal is to develop a generation of young black male leaders who have a positive impact on their community, and who inspire others to become leaders. If each of our young leaders were to train 5 other young men to become leaders, who in turn train 5 others to become leaders, and so on, then we will create
an infinite pipeline of positive greatness! In this issue of our newsletter, you will find many examples of our young leaders impacting the world. You will also find information about our Evening of Excellence Gala, which is our largest fundraiser for the year. The Gala allows us to fund the great work and training of our young men. Please join us for a great night of entertainment with Ken Ford, the King of 18
Strings. If you cannot join us, please make a donation to support our young men. Join us as we Create A New Reality through leadership and service to humanity!
CEO and Founder YBM Leadership Alliance
SOCIAL MEDIA Find us online at http://www.ybmleadership.com
Newsletter articles contributed by Ken Currence and Tammy Reed, treed@ybmleadership.com Chief Editor - Wesley Reed of Hofstra University Assistant Editor - Tammy Reed of Diversified Print Management Graphic Design by DesignZoneUSA http://www.designzoneusa.webs.com/
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“Creating A New Reality”
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