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For kids to succeed, we have to believe

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published April 5, 2005

Jeremy wants to work on airplanes and Rodney wants to fly them.

Jose wants to build houses and Seliena wants to build legal cases.

Keontrye speaks with a gleam in his eye about selling real estate and "flipping houses." Joseph boasts about someday being a manager because he likes "taking responsibility and running stuff."

Their dreams are like those of any teenager. Only the fuel for their hopes is not as plentiful. As students of the Tampa Marine Institute, it's more difficult for them to find folks who will buy into their dreams.

"Everyone sees us and thinks we're going to rob them or break into their car," Jose said.

I couldn't help but wonder: How can they believe in themselves if we aren't willing to believe in them?

Last week, I was among a group of business leaders from Leadership Tampa Alumni who met with a small contingent of boys and girls from the marine institute. Like other institutions and programs under the Associated Marine Institutes umbrella, the Tampa school works to rehabilitate kids with academic instruction and marine-related activities such as scuba diving. Some are ordered by the courts to attend because of juvenile arrests. Others are referred to the program by the school district.

The goal is to provide opportunities for kids who have academic and behavioral problems to catch up and return to mainstream high schools.

Although I was familiar with the program, I was nervous about what to say. I've spoken at a number of high schools about my career, but rarely have I had to talk about life. I knew I wanted to give them advice, but I didn't want to preach. I wanted to inspire them, but I didn't want to talk down to them.

I wanted to teach, but I knew I could end up learning more than I had to offer.

The Leadership Tampa members divided into different rooms and the kids rotated from room-to-room in groups of two or three. From what I could gather, these weren't bad kids, just kids who had made bad decisions.

Really, they were just kids.

I tried to impress upon them that everyone makes mistakes, but you have to find a way to overcome them. I talked about my academic struggles in college and how I came perilously close to being kicked out. I talked about the value of actually going to class and having a plan.

They were keenly attentive and somewhat surprised. But they shouldn't have been. Surely everyone has made a wrong turn or two. I'm willing to wager that most people can look back on their upbringing and recognize a couple lapses of judgment.

After meeting with the kids, I wondered if something I had done in high school could have altered my life the way their lives have been altered.

I didn't have to think long.

When I was 17, my friends and I arrived at a Friday night party only to discover that two schoolmates had been beaten up by some guys from the other side of town.

We didn't know the details or the reasoning, and we didn't need to. Without thought for personal regard, we deemed ourselves avenging angels and set out to right the wrong. The fact that the victims were hardly friends and the villains were sure to outnumber us didn't matter. We scoured every fast-food joint in Tallahassee, ready to throw down.

Only by the grace of God did we fail to find them, because if we had, I could have easily ended up "catching charges" as the marine institute kids say.

Now those kids are trying to catch hope, and as a society, we have to be willing to give it. It's a leap of faith, but if we give up on them, they give up and everyone loses.

I asked Joseph how I could help them and he said, "What kind of power do you have?"

I thought for a moment, and then I told him I'd like to believe I can influence people with my columns. He asked, then, if I could convince folks that they were "regular people," that they deserved a chance to succeed.

Joseph, I hope this column works.

That's all I'm saying.

--Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 5, 2005, 01:30:21]