RAYMOND – A person’s inner dialogue can be helpful or hurtful, depending on what that little voice inside says.
It was a strong enough message to lead off this summer’s leadership summit for students involved in the Minority Male Leadership Initiative at ².
Adonis Lenzy, of Paradigm Shift, speaks to high school students and others at an M2M Leadership Summit June 5 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center at ² Raymond Campus. (²/April Garon)
“No matter what people say to you, it’s what you say to yourself that really matters,” said Adonis Lenzy of Paradigm Shift as the group helped kick off a two-day series of programs and exercises for M2M members and mentors June 5-6 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center on the Raymond Campus. The Oklahoma-based nonprofit connects ministers and other volunteers with poor communities to foster economic and social change.
“There’s nothing wrong with looking at yourself in the mirror and saying ‘You can’,” Lenzy said.
Joining Lenzy for the summit was minister Heady Coleman and community leaders Ryan Eller, Derrick Sier and Mikey Manghum to present programs on various team-building exercises, such as setting goals, time management, copying practices seen in successful people, and changing up routines to prevent life from becoming stale. Lenzy likened that to releasing a caged bear into the woods, only to have the bear still be stuck in a cage in its mind.
“We’ve got to be bigger than a routine,” he said. “You’ve got to make sure you steer clear of any ruts.”
High school students who attended the summit wrote down short- and long-term goals on sticky notes to foster active communication, said M2M Director Aleisha Escobedo.
Wingfield High School students Paul James Curry, a junior,
Dequavious Guice, a senior and
James Stubb, a junior, attended the M2M Leadership Summit held June 5-6 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center on the Raymond Campus.
(²/April Garon)
“This summit provided an opportunity for our students to engage with their peers and serve as active leaders and forward thinkers,” Escobedo said. “I especially loved that Paradigm Shift challenged our students to focus on attainable goals and helped them to recognize that having strong social and community support will foster success.”
Becoming a success in life often involves the answer to a key question of those whom students see as successful, Lenzy said.
“The number one question you need to ask them is, if you can get in their circle, what was it like for you before you became successful?” he said. “That’s the story you’ll want to hear about.”
The M2M program is based at the Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center. For more information, call 601.987.8129 or visit .
[tweetable alt=””]Teamwork, self-motivation front and center at M2M summit at ² CC[/tweetable]
Front row, from left, April Reynolds, M2M English instructional guide, Aleisha Escobedo, M2M Director, Derrick Sier, Adonis Lenzy, both of Paradigm Shift, Robert Smith, M2M Academic Success coach, Felicia Garner, M2M administrative assistant; back row, from left, Keith Williams, M2M Academic Success coach, Ryan Eller, Mikey Manghum, Gregory “Heady” Coleman, all of Paradigm Shift, Ahmad Smith, M2M Recruitment and Outreach coordinator (²/April Garon)