It’s My Life

I am ready for the world. I am a strong leader. To be a leader you have to know how to serve and discipline yourself to walk the life you preach about. I grew up around and under the influence of strong powerful leaders. Most of them were women. I was raised in church which has helped shape and mold me into the young man that I am. Church has had a positive effect on my life. When I was about nine years old I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I desired to become a leader when I was ten years old and my Bishop saw and felt the anointing on my life and ordained me as a youth minister at ten years old. I even realized then that I was ready for this calling.

God has truly been testing me and molding me to be a strong leader still until this day. I’ve realized over the past few years in my life that most of our difficulties in life as leaders come from not trusting in the Lord to lead us or being spiritually led. Instead we try to plan too much and do things our way. I feel in my heart that I am ready for the world. The Peers Project has helped me realize that the youth really needs strong leaders…leaders that aren’t just preaching to them, but are getting on the same level as the youth…really trying to understand their hurt and struggle and why they think violence is the answer to everything. This program has allowed me to see different environments and sit in the midst of these kids who, on the inside are crying for help and seeking someone to really love them. They need someone who can show them that they can trust somebody. That’s why I’m ready for the world, because I know my purpose and calling. I’m willing to pay the price to help somebody. Nobody promised us that the road we travel would be a smooth and easy ride, but if we come together in unity and strive towards the mark I believe we can reach success. Nobody is perfect, but if we can be in peace with ourselves and help support our brothers and sisters, we can make it.

By: Mike Williams

 

Reality T.V. , Helpful or Hurtful?

You have seen the “ridiculousness” of most reality TV shows, but why do some people, especially teens, still choose to watch them? Reality TV is a very narrow peek into the lives of people who have an unrealistic reality, in fact, most of their lives are written by a producer. These cast members are to do one thing with those lives, make sure it is drama filled so that they make money through that drama. The reputation of most reality TV show cast members is demolished by the finale of their first season. Honestly, the problem lies not only with the producers or cast members, but the audience. It is the audience that allows these shows to have numerous amounts of views. The audience are the people unintentionally saying to those cast members and producers, “Ignorance is bliss, so keep at it!” But their ignorance shouldn’t be bliss, it is disturbing and degrading, not only for them, but to the audience that they are targeting. Take for instance the 16-year-old girl who thinks she is not pretty enough, and watches a reality TV show for the first time and instantly gets hooked. That 16-year-old girl is now being influenced by women who wear tons of make-up and are praised by the media because of their “beauty,” when in actuality it’s as fake as their lives portrayed on their show. That 16-year-old girl and many other girls and women like her are being lied to and influenced by the negative influences suggested through reality TV. It is vital that we don’t allow producers to tell us what we should look like, or the lifestyle(s) we should admire, but that we are confident enough in ourselves to say that we are much greater than that.

Former PEERS Project Student Heads to Purdue University

Graduate Shares Her Experience in The PEERS Project

peers teen leaderWritten by Shea Cattelier

After being a part of The PEERS Project the past three years I have learned a lot about myself and the limits I have chosen to set for myself.  And, as I move toward college, and the new experiences that await, I will carry the same set of values I have had for myself throughout high school. The PEERS Project has taught me the value of goal setting and the amount of courage it takes to achieve those goals.  As college approaches I am nervous about the academic rigor and whether my past 13 years of education have prepared me enough for the untethering that is college. However, I know deep down that I am the same driven young woman who joined PEERS because of its great values. Because of that, I will continue to thrive in the world around me without worrying about succumbing to peer pressure as I go to Purdue University.