Any of you who have parented one of those “quiet” teenagers know it can be difficult to gage their level of excitement with “Fine.” or “Good.” being their response to nearly every question. This summer, Ms. Dorothy became guardian of her grandson Omarion who is one of those quiet teens and was looking for a way to keep him safe, and keep him involved and interested in positive things. They heard about Harambee apprenticeships and Omarion applied and got an interview. His grandmother asked him how it went, and said his response showed no enthusiasm or hope, “Just because I got an interview doesn’t mean I got the job.”

In an interview with Dr. Y’Shanda Rivera, Dorothy details her thankfulness for Harambee crew leaders who made him feel needed, wanted and cared for. She described his reaction to hearing he got the job as a look on his face that was “on the verge of joy” and that throughout his summer experience, she watched him become more open and excited about his work and fellow crew members.

Harambee Golden Brick Winners- Summer 2021

Omarion took quickly to the work and even in his first summer at Harambee quickly became a dependable leader on his crew, earning one of the end of the summer awards, The Golden Brick, which is given to crew members who show extraordinary leadership, or improvement. It’s been one of our favorite end of season traditions. In the interview, Omarion humbly describes feeling honored to be recognized and that he felt his work was appreciated. He describes gaining leadership skills through watching his crew leaders and serving his teammates to get the job done.

While Omarion is still a soft spoken young man of few words, it’s a joy to watch him grow as a participant and even more so, a leader. So many of our young people express feelings of hopelessness, many remain only on the verge of joy, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to invite them further on a path that renews their hope, brings them joy and invests in them as future leaders who can impact our neighborhood, city and world for the better.

We hope you enjoy the video interview (featured below) - or watch the ENTIRE interview without cuts for time.