Volume 23 | Issue 4 | Winter 2021
DVULI.ORG
CARLOS NICASIO INVITES YOUTH TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT
God & Culture Breakthrough Phoebe Cruz Takes On Her Goliath in Ministry
Profile
Mike Trout Sees Reciprocal Results in Chicago
Merry Christ mas & Happy 2022!
At DVULI, we never cease to be amazed by the light of Jesus Christ that shines through our alumni, participants, and partners around the world. We are privileged to serve the Son of God with so many of you and look forward to this continued work! May the love, joy, and peace that comes this time of year surround you, your family, and your ministries for years to come.
Love ya!
The DVULI Team
Contact DVULI: 200 Monroe Ave. NW | Grand Rapids, MI 49503 | 616-643-4848 | staff@dvuli.org On the Level is a quarterly publication of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative (DVULI). All content is property of DVULI and may not be republished or reproduced without permission. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the DVULI staff, RDV Corporation, or the DeVos Family Foundations. The DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative is a 501c3, founded in 1998 and made possible by the generous support of the DeVos Family Foundations. © 2021
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Welcome RODRIGO ORTIZ
By Kimberlee Mitchell, DVULI Staff
T
he staff of DVULI is honored to introduce Rodrigo Ortiz, who joined our curriculum team in August 2021 as the Training and Curriculum Lead. In this role, Rodrigo serves alongside Ron Carter and Carlo Daniels. He gives oversight to the DVULI Hispanic Advisory Committee and coordinates the orientation training for DVULI city coordinators, coaches, liaisons, and mentors. Once Rodrigo’s onboarding is complete, he will join our team of DVULI liaisons. “It’s amazing to hear the stories of the DVULI graduates I’ve met so far. I am looking forward to my liaison role and working with alumni in Miami and Orlando,” Rodrigo says. Prior to DVULI, Rodrigo was a housing counselor and financial educator for Home Repair Services, a nonprofit based in Grand Rapids. His primary role was to help homeowners going through the foreclosure process save their homes and teach financial education to low-income residents.
"It's amazing to hear the stories of the DVULI graduates I've met so far. I am looking forward to my liaison role and WORKING WITH ALUMNI IN MIAMI AND ORLANDO.”
Youth ministry had a huge impact on Rodrigo growing up. Two specific youth leaders took on the role of mentor and friend in his life. “Seeing how they followed Christ was something I wanted and knew I didn’t have,” explains Rodrigo. “Looking back, I realize that if it weren’t for the way they took care of me, I wouldn’t be here. They set the example of what it meant to be a good young man, son, and later, husband. I wanted to be like them because of the impact they had on my life, and I wanted to have that same impact on others.”
Michigan. In May of 2021, he graduated from Calvin Seminary, where he received a Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership.
After graduating high school, Rodrigo served as a youth leader for 10 years at several churches in Wyoming,
LEFT: Rodrigo is also a musician and joined the DVULI worship band as a guitarist at NC2 2021.
Rodrigo was born in El Salvador. He has been living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for almost 21 years. He is married to his wife, Tami, and has two kids: Isaak (8) and Isabel (5). In his free time, he loves to barbecue, play basketball with his kids and their friends, host boxing and football watch parties, and go sneaker shopping.
JOIN OUR TEAM IN WELCOMING RODRIGO TO THE DVULI FAMILY. FEEL FREE TO DROP HIM A NOTE AT RODRIGOO@DVULI.ORG.
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2021
SECOND NATIONAL CONFERENCE By Kimberlee Mitchell, DVULI Staff
T
he Systems Thinking Conference, usually held in Holland, Michigan, took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the Embassy Suites Hotel to accommodate social distancing protocols. The week-long training motivated current participants to share their vision, get “out of the box,” climb off the “ladder of inference,” and break through in leadership. Facilitators Ron Carter (Birmingham 1999), Peter O’Donnell, Oscar Benavides (Dallas 2009), Myron Bernard (Seattle/Tacoma 2011) (Pictured right) and remote instructor Liza Cagua-Coo (Boston 2006) tag-teamed as they guided attendees toward harmony in their personal lives and youth work.
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Mike Trout (Chicago 2007) delivered a riveting keynote that included an eight-member panel of young men and women from his ministry, YMEN. The youth shared their personal testimonies and offered DVULI participants inspiration imploring them to “never give up,” which was reciprocated with a standing ovation.
NC2 2021
The packed week of THOUGHTPROVOKING BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND CASE STUDIES also offered an afternoon of recreation on the lakeshore at Holland’s Camp Geneva.
The packed week of thoughtprovoking breakout sessions and case studies also offered an afternoon of recreation on the lakeshore at Holland’s Camp Geneva. Furthermore, participants were treated to local restaurants of their choice, coffee houses, and walks (or scooter rides) along the Grand River downtown. The Friday night closing celebration featured a time of worship. After the final song, several participants commandeered the mics, and the conference room erupted in a beautiful freestyle rap session. Phone cameras captured the moments of attendees cheering, jumping, and taking the lid off the entire week.
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s k l a T h To u g TH OU ) Y H T I W 2008 an Diego s Nicasio
By Carlo
(S
asio.9 carlos.nic
Nicasio
an Mique edia/Adri M e ll ti s e dit: @B Photo cre
W
ith so much happening in our nation today, youth are asking a lot of questions. The division among leadership inside and outside of churches is causing our youth to demand answers and the truth. Today’s urban youth workers must be equipped with sound wisdom, doctrine, and advice 5
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to outpace the digital fountain from which youth are drinking. These young people are watching a hurting humanity struggle with issues that rip into the fabric of their neighborhoods. One of the many questions on their list is, “What kind of loving God would allow such things?”
While I would never profess to know or have all the right answers, I have to believe the loving God we serve would ultimately want me to direct my youth and their grappling questions to Him. Tough talks about cultural topics like politics, racism, sexuality, mental health, and vaccinations shouldn’t be avoided.
Today’s urban youth workers
MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH SOLID WISDOM, DOCTRINE, AND ADVICE
to outpace the digital fountain from which youth are drinking.
afford to shy away from the truth that we live in a fallen world where the devil rules. We see countless stories in the Bible that illustrate this, but we also see a sovereign God worth trusting.
To begin to answer these questions, young people are looking for trusted individuals who will listen and offer answers. Parents, youth groups, and discipleship communities should be the best places to start these conversations. They are the platforms where quality relationships are established and where open and honest discussions are held. In my experience, providing these spaces creates a safe and secure place for grace, deep dialogue, and liberation. We want our youth to feel free to share struggles, hardships, and confusion about culture. Leaders have to be willing to make time and take time to become family with young people.
Youth need to embrace the reality that they are here by design. Their gifts, talents, abilities, and callings are what define God’s purpose for them. They are here on a mission to enlarge God’s kingdom and purpose for humanity.
I welcome challenging questions like, “Which political party would Jesus support?” While the short answer could rightly be neither party, in order to engage with those who are asking, one response could be that Jesus aligns with the party of the people. He came to serve and save humanity. He was always advocating for the lost and those in need. When it comes to Jesus addressing the needs of people, youth will have follow-up questions. The big topic youth are asking about is the Bible’s perspective on gender and sexuality and if it’s accurate today. At a minimum, everyone has to come to terms with the fact that from the beginning, we see God created Adam (man) and Eve (woman). He establishes them both in creation. My leadership team at Concrete and Canvas, realizes these kinds of tough talks are only getting more challenging. This digital generation has an abundance of information and misinformation, creating stress in an already stressful post-pandemic way of life. Moreover, we cannot
I encourage youth workers facing challenging questions to create a “grace space” where young people don’t feel threatened and are welcomed to go deep with their struggles. In some communities, it’s come down to street credibility. Our relationships and street reputation draw youth to our organizations, and then we are able to lead them to the gospel.
Tough Talks Re sources FOR YOUTH LEADERS
Pine Rest Resource Library: Type “talking with teens” into the search bar pinerest.personaladvantage.com for a list of resources. (See page 8 of this newsletter for login info.)
RightNow Media: Use your RightNow Media app to search these resources: • Identity & Sexuality by Summit Ministries •T he Perfect Blend of Politics & Religion by Andy Stanley • Identity by Eric Mason • I f God Is Good, Why Do Bad Things Happen? by OS Guinness WINTER 2021 | DVULI.ORG
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Al umni updates Johonna McCants-Turner (Washington, DC 2011) and her family moved to Canada where she is now an Associate Professor. johonnaturner
(Fresno 2014) started a new position as School Psychologist in the San Jose Unified School District. chris.pennywell cpennywell90
J Martinez
Joanna Soroka
(Miami 2018) is now the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Hope for Miami. MrJmart
(Newark 2014) and her husband, Alexey, welcomed baby number two, Daniel, into the family on Aug 5, 2021. j0anka j_babiarczyk
Santos O’Neill
Eric Johnson
(Orlando 2010) and his wife, Kiley, became first-time parents when their son, Hendrix, was born on August 26, 2021.
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Chris Pennywell
(L.A. 2010) was promoted to Associate Director for Stars earlier this year. eric.v.johnson.7 blondenegro
Jason Curry
Yami Rodriguez
(Newark 2021) was named Rookie of the Year by the NYC Fellowship of Christian Athletes. jason.curry.5059
(Fresno 2014) was appointed to serve on the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Newsom. yammilette.rodriguez
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THE DVULI ALUMNI ASSISTANCE PROGRAM By Misael Guzman (Newark 2014), DVULI liaison for NJ & NYC
RECOMMENDED
RESOURCE
I
n September, at our annual DVULI liaison training, I learned about an amazing resource available to all DVULI alumni, our own families, and the youth we serve. The DVULI Alumni Assistance program offers us exclusive access to a massive online library with more than 100 webinars, trainings, videos, PDFs, links, and more for a wide variety of health and well-being resources. This hardworking website serves more than 60,000 people every year. To help with balance in your own life or to familiarize yourself with all it offers, check it out today.
To find the Personal Advantage library, go to https://pinerest.personaladvantage.com/ and enter DVULI for the passcode.
The colorful home page offers many topics ranging from personal finance and legal to personal growth and health assessments. It’s very intuitive, which makes the site very easy— there’s even a search bar to help you find specific topics. As youth workers, we’ve all had those tough days when youth share their most serious struggles. Whether they are grappling with surviving trauma, anxiety, addiction, or depression, this website allows you to refer those in need of professional help to a tangible resource. Your youth can log in from the privacy of their own homes, create a personal and private account, and then explore the library for information on several topics. I specifically like the online health assessments to help people who are stuck and wondering if they need help. The easy-to-use multiple-choice questionnaires provide immediate assessments complete with recommendations for the next advisable step.
Be the bridge
BETWEEN SOMEONE AND THE HELP THEY NEED. Lean on this valuable resource for yourself, and share it with those you live with and those you serve and love.
Have questions? Need urgent help? Call 800-442-0809. WINTER 2021 | DVULI.ORG
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Phoebe Cruz
phoebe.cruz pcruzie
(Phoenix 2017)
By Kimberlee Mitchell, Staff and Gerald Bell (Kansas City 2003)
The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head." 9 WINTER Micah 2:132021 | DVULI.ORG
BREAKTHROUGH
F
our years ago, when Phoebe Cruz (Phoenix 2017) submitted her DVULI breakthrough plan, one of her personal action steps was to invest more time reading. At the top of her list of titles was Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio.
applied them in ministry. With lessons learned, she’s now taking a more intentional approach to setting boundaries and allowing team members to do greater things with her in the background.
In this book, Giglio encourages believers to put aside what they may think about the classic David and Goliath story and dwell instead on the size of our God—not the height of our giants. The writer goes on to explain that once there is an understanding of the source of our giants, we can be assured that because of the power of Jesus, our affliction can, will, and must fall.
“It’s hard to believe I was drowning a year ago,” expresses Phoebe, whose ministry is thriving. “Now, I can see so much maturity, character, and fruit. I know it’s because of the incredible DVULI training that I was able to pass through that horrendous storm of testing my faith and my ability as a leader.”
When reading this book, Phoebe had no idea God was preparing her for encounters with some unexpected giants in ministry. A giant entered her path in 2020 when half of her youth ministry leaders left the church over political
Further reflecting, Phoebe says, “The friendships I made in my DVULI cohort saved my life and helped me to keep going. We love and support one another and lend our hands to help each other whenever we can. We continue to maintain relationships, and it couldn’t be better.”
“PRAISE GOD THAT HE’S NOT DONE WITH ME IN THE THIS PROCESS,
I truly trust Him to lead me to ne w level s." differences that were dividing the nation. This was the ministry team she trained and empowered for more than 17 years. The special bonds that were built with youth, families, and ministry team leaders all dismantled right before her eyes. “It felt like a bomb was going to explode, and there was nothing I could do about it,” describes Phoebe. “My heart broke into a million pieces, I was devastated, and I just wanted to quit.” Phoebe recalls the many conversations, consultations, and research conducted in the hope of resolving differences of opinion and keeping the ministry team together. None of those efforts worked, and the team mutually agreed to part ways.
Goliath Must Fall points out that all of us have giants in our lives that creep in and take over—giants like rejection, anxiety, fear, and anger. These adversaries establish a foothold, and before we know it, we tolerate something that diminishes the glory of God in our lives and holds us back from the freedom Jesus intends for us. By investing time in reading more, Phoebe was equipped to face her giant and overcome it. “Praise God that He’s not done with me in this process,” celebrates Phoebe. “I truly trust Him to lead me to new levels.”
Resilient, Phoebe had witnessed God’s transforming power through her and the ministry she worked so hard to build. She was confident she’d see this same power once more. “God picked me up and started to mold me all over again to continue running the race,” contends Phoebe, who immediately began creating new bonds with the leaders who stayed as she refocused and rebuilt her team. “But I first had to release the past and allow God to mend the brokenness.” Two of the five DVULI core values—empowerment and leverage—were not properly aligning where Phoebe once
Phoebe Cruz with the worship team and children’s ministry youth at Vida Evidente church in Gilbert, Arizona.
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OPINIO
N BY JO N CO K ER
Crucial Conversat ions
(San Anto
nio 2017
)
WITH GEN Z
Yesterday’s trauma can be healed through today’s conversations, but to navigate today’s tough topics with tomorrow’s leaders, discipleship must demonstrate both spiritual power and practical strategy.
Y
oung people’s perspectives about religion, politics, relationships, money, and social issues are being shaped by a loud culture and a quiet church. It is safe to assume that their passionate preferences are internalized and processed online long before they manifest into real-world expression. This means protests are not born in the streets but in social media feeds. Ministries struggle to navigate crucial conversations with their youth because many of them are attempting to disciple from the branch of behavior and emotional expression rather than from the root of character and sound principles.
The apostle Paul boasts to the Roman church, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16 NKJV). Is the mass exodus from the church to the culture a direct result of preachers becoming ashamed of the gospel and shrinking back from speaking truth? The gospel is not a sermon about God. It is an announcement from God. It is not good advice about
There is nothing more detrimental to a community than SILENT PREACHERS AND ABSENT LEADERS. According to Forbes, members of Gen Z (people ages 6 years old to 24 years old), mainly junior high and high school students, spend more than nine hours per day on screens. If that trend continues, when they die, they will have spent more than one-third of their lives scrolling. They have more computing power in their phones than the astronauts had on the Apollo 11 space mission. The virtual world is deep with games, pornography, violence, conspiracies, notifications, social media engagement, and other dopamine triggers and false realities. For youth ministries, screaming into a microphone about hell for 30 minutes on a Wednesday night will not uproot what has been planted in them by the culture. 11
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what people should do. It is good news about what has already been done for them. Somehow, in many communities, the gospel has been canceled because of preachers who have cowered away from controversy to be more accommodating to the culture. There is nothing more detrimental to a community than silent preachers and absent leaders. Those who ghost their posts leave a vacuum that will be immediately filled by darkness. To sum up the consequences mathematically, if the church adds to or subtracts from the gospel message, it will stop its own multiplication and cause division. Adding strict requirements to grace produces a culture of legalism. Subtracting from grace produces a culture of carnality.
Part ner POV
BRIAN DYE OF LEGACY WEIGHS IN ON TACKLING BURNING QUESTIONS Brian Dye (Chicago 2007), Director of Legacy Disciple
When it comes to talking with youth about sensitive subjects, you cannot beat around the bush. They live in realities of turmoil and are bound to have questions for someone who can keep it real. The music they listen to, the friends they hang around, and even the teachers they learn from are offering all kinds of information on the big three questions of racism, sexuality, and the political divide. If church leadership cannot verify the truth, then it makes the Bible look like an old book from the past that doesn’t address present-day issues. We must show them there’s a better remedy for their pain than numbing it with drug use or dangerous song lyrics. There is a better way to live and love, and the Bible has to be their answer. JonCokerTV
Paul insisted that this twisting of the gospel is witchcraft, and when he noticed it in the Galatian church, he asked them who had bewitched them. That question echoes to this generation. Who has bewitched you to believe that your political persuasion, race, gender, orientation, or opinion makes you superior to someone else? Who has bewitched ministers into believing that cultural resistance and pandemic pressures are valid excuses for changing God’s message and for social distancing from broken people? Who has bewitched this generation into believing that anyone who disagrees with them should be canceled? Bewitched ministries will often persecute the work of God in their own communities. Botham Jean was a 26-year-old black man who was in his home when a white police officer broke in and fatally shot him. His younger brother, Brandt, offered forgiveness toward the officer and consoled her with a hug in the courtroom, saying in a CNN report, “I want people to have the heart that God has.” He said forgiving her set him free from anger and anxiety. Social media lit up, and mercy went viral. The gesture was only on display for a few hours before he was condemned by well-known black pastors.
legacydisciple
@LegacyDisciple
One of them posted a meme with a picture of the young man hugging the officer. The text over the picture read, “This is what slave conditioning looks like.” This backlash set the tone for how many urban communities resisted racial reconciliation. The narrative suggested that forgiving one’s debtors was a weakness when the gospel says it is strength. This perspective has fueled hatred and destructive social movements. In Mark 8:15, Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the “leaven of Herod.” This is a subtle yet prideful doctrine that exalts the laws of government and culture above the laws of God. It considers emotional preferences above sound principles. When under pressure, many influencers will forfeit revelation for relevance. They achieve the social but lack the spiritual. Both are necessary. The vertical dimension of the gospel paradigm breaks the invisible restrictions of communities, while the horizontal dimension breaks down practical barriers by serving the felt needs of people and through discipleship. Today’s leaders must take up that cross so tomorrow’s leaders can take up the mantle.
Jon Coker (San Antonio 2017) is the Student Ministries Director at Christian World Worship Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is also a multimedia journalist and digital reporter for KENS-5, a public speaker, and a contributing writer. jcoker34@gmail.com WINTER 2021 | DVULI.ORG
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Al umni PROFILE
by Will Cumby (Houston 2010)
007)
cago 2 i h C ( t u e Tro ME: Mik
NA
Tell us about your youth program and how you fulfill its mission. The Young Men’s Educational Network, known as YMEN, is a committed network of indigenous community members located in North Lawndale, on the west side of Chicago. YMEN’s mission is to adequately equip the next generation of African American emerging leaders with the support, skills, and opportunities to impact the community and the world in the name of Jesus Christ. YMEN has grown to include an array of programs and initiatives focused on developing the North Lawndale community. Annually, YMEN provides nearly 1,200 hours of in-school and after-school engagement activities to an average of 300 youth. The strength of YMEN is its indigenous leadership.
THE YMEN KEY VERSE: Entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2b (NIV)
Why do you think God has called you to this work? God has called me to offer a physical presence of the love He has as our Heavenly Father. In 1992, my wife and I moved to North Lawndale to support the education of its youth. We quickly recognized the incredible challenges that our neighborhood boys faced with the large percentages of incarcerated men and the number of homes without active fathers.
gether! : Better to n ia st ri h dC Trout, an mal, Mike YMEN Ja
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ymench
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I want to make a dent by having a presence in young men’s lives. The joy of this work is the reciprocity my wife and I frequently experience between our community and our family. My neighbors inspire me with their perseverance, resourcefulness, hope, and deep faith. I remember when my wife mentored a pregnant teen. Years later, that same girl advised my wife on an aspect of motherhood after our first biological child was born (we also have three adopted children). In serving, I have also been served. This community has not only helped me exercise my gifts, but they’ve also helped carry my sorrows.
ALUMNI PROFILE
What do you hope to accomplish while you serve in this capacity?
What kind of collaborative opportunities are benefiting this work?
I want each of our sons and daughters to know that they are deeply loved and that God has a wonderful plan for their lives. YMEN believes that God’s plan is holistic and includes developing one’s talents, intelligence, physical strength, emotional IQ, and relational network. Introducing young people to God means we are introducing them to His desire that they operate to their greatest potential. YMEN also believes that all of our activities from tutoring to recreation, from college visits to service projects, from fishing to eating at Golden Corral are spiritual and help us to lean into God’s love and plan for our lives. There is only one source of true LOVE and that is the giver of all good and perfect things. YMEN’s greatest accomplishment is connecting our young people to their Heavenly Father.
One of our most critical collaborative relationships is with the Chicago Public Schools. YMEN can teach our curriculum inside the public schools during the school day. School administrators and classroom teachers have credited our work with increasing promotion rates, lowering student infractions, and reducing peer bullying and student conflict. Our most recent collaborative efforts include four urban gardens, a community refrigerator, and an initiative called the Bike Box. The Bike Box is a partnership with a local bike store that retrofitted a shipping container into a lending bike library for community members. Community members can check out a bike, repair their bike, or purchase an affordably priced bike. These collaborative efforts encourage school members to bike their community and learn their neighborhood, eat organically grown produce, and share resources with those in need.
What challenges have you or the organization had to overcome?
WE DON’T HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER, BUT
The greatest challenge in youth ministry are the voices that dehumanize our children—voices that tell them they are “less than”, that they are “not valued”, that they are “not worthy”, that they are “not enough”. Because many young people are an audience to regular negativity, they tend to accept that message. When programs develop faster than empowered relationships, you hit capacity limits and head for burnout. There are circumstances we can’t control and wounds we self-inflict. I have learned to acknowledge that whatever chapter our youth, YMEN, or I am in, it is just a page in the story and not the end of the book. Walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit allows God to be the author. Our challenges turn to testimonies when we choose to participate in what God is writing.
Together we have it all! How can your DVULI family be praying for you as you move forward? Pray that the YMEN team and I keep our eyes on Jesus, noting when to move forward and when to step back. I also ask that you pray for us as we grow and seek new family members and leaders who model reconciliation (true friendship) and embody shalom. Lastly, it never hurts to pray for resources to get the job done! I have learned, though, that God’s plans never lack His provision.
What are you most proud of that the program has accomplished? I am most proud of our former mentees turned mentors. The children who started with me in 1996 are now enrolling their children in the YMEN family. Nearly all of YMEN’s staff are former students who are now reinvesting in the next generation. YMEN students impacting lives in Chicago and around the country gives me great joy. ABOVE: Mike Trout celebrates Arnez’s eighth grade graduation. He now attends college at Trinity International.
RIGHT: Derrick becomes part of the three percent of African American males in North Lawndale to earn a bachelor’s degree. He received his degree from Elmhurst College. WINTER 2021 | DVULI.ORG
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