Today we’d like to introduce you to Letetia Smith.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We began this journey over 5 years ago! We noticed children in our neighborhood with low self-esteem, feeling rejected, feeling like they didn’t belong, depressed and even suicidal. They were clueless to who they were and where they were going in life. It was very disheartening to see such intellectual and creative minds suffer from lack of positive self-image and self-worth. We saw a need for the voices of optimism to be louder than the voices of pessimism.
We decided to embrace this generation and let them know that there were people in this world genuinely cared about them and their future. We started coaching basketball at our local recreation center with 7 players. We affirmed them, loved on them and told them how intellectual and creative they were. We gave lots of high fives and hugs and smiles regardless if we were winning or losing. We built relationship with their parents at the same time and told them that we were here to reinforce what they were saying. We welcomed the whole family regardless of the dynamics. We just wanted to make sure that each and every individual we encountered knew we loved and appreciated them.
Kids and parents continued to come to our team by word of mouth and we grew to over 2o children in just one season. We continued to build this generation up and speak life into them on and off the court. We built strategic relationships in the community for them to have opportunities to give to others. We did have team outings like dress for success events, parties and socials to celebrate after each session. We rewarded them publicly for the leadership traits that we saw them display.
The village continued to grow and we continued to love on everyone!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Bumpy roads often lead to beautiful destinations! There’s nothing beautiful about watching a child’s self-esteem being affected because they have been bullied, there’s nothing beautiful about witnessing a child’s heart ache because they don’t know if they can trust the adults in their lives. There’s nothing beautiful about watching a child long for belonging.
As our young leaders continue to grow and progress so did the problems that they began to face. They were bullied, hated, made fun of because they were being leaders. As a result, they began to revert back and self-esteem started to dwindle. We had to remind them that even though it may be challenging, quitting was never an option for a leader. We had to remind them that being a leader means having standards.
We had to make sure we stayed connected with them and their parents on a more consistent basis. We had to make sure they were not discouraged when they left the group and that they had a strategic mentor continue to speak life into them. We had to get a louder voice and connection with them. We spent one on one time with them. Showed up at birthday parties and school lunch times.
We had to help them overcome a mean and cruel society that cares more about having an internet connection over a personal connection.
Despite the bumps along the way we certainly arrived at a beautiful destination. They learned how to preserve. They took the power back and began to empower each other!
Destiny’s Leaders – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Destiny’s Leaders is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that’s on a mission to train tomorrow’s leaders, TODAY! We do so by embracing, engaging and empowering our next generation in a variety of ways. A few ways include our passionate Leaders H.E.A.R.T(Honor, Empower, Affirm, Respect and Trust) Mentoring Program for ages 5 and up, Lady Eagles Basketball program and our Destiny’s Leaders Summer Camp.
We specialize in helping our youth embrace the leader in them and how to handle themselves like leaders.
The saying “It takes a village” is certainly applicable to us because we have several highly qualified and passionate leaders that make this team well equipped to carry out the mission. The team provide hands on teachings in sports, music, art, nursing and leadership. This diversity allows for the next generation to have a place where they belong and can be valued.
We can’t help a generation until we’re willing to EMBRACE them and meet them where they are! We are very intentional about embracing and accepting every individual for who they are.
Multiple voices with the same vision along with the passion for a generation that is very intellectual is what sets us apart from others.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Was the most rewarding moment When we realized that we had succeeded at making our voices louder than the naysayers and our young leaders began to reiterate what they had been taught, was it when they began to walk with confidence and boldness or was it when they learned to share their feelings instead of suppressing them?
The moment they realized that they were leaders and made a difference in life were very excited.
Once they realized that setting goals, dreaming and empowering others was very rewarding we knew that those moments were priceless and well worth the investment.
Pricing:
- Leaders H.E.A.R.T. Mentoring $19.95 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: Frisco, TX 75034
- Website: destinysleaders.org
- Phone: 214-448-6626
- Email: info@destinysleaders.org
- Instagram: destinys_leaders
- Facebook: Destiny’s Leaders
- Twitter: @destinysleaders
Image Credit:
Fanlow
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