Alijah Springer, 18, said, “If you need help they’re there. I always have a fun time, even if it’s serious.” Springer, along with roughly 15 other students from early middle school to Springer’s age attend a mentoring group called Men In Action Outreach, Inc., lead by Morris Smith, the organization’s president. The group meets at the Magnolia Educational and Recreational Center in East Milton, the former elementary school for African American children in the area during segregation.
Springer said, “We do car washes. We took a satellite dish off of a house. We do it all.” Springer, a Milton High School track and field athlete, said, “If not for MIA, I wouldn’t be in track.” Smith said, “Alijah’s a standup guy. He’s awesome.” Smith said Springer called him up to spend time together and Smith invited him to help cook for a wedding. “Part of our mission is to improve self esteem,” Smith said.
Sitting with Springer, 13-year-old Xavier Hamilton said, “My grades are up and I get in trouble less.” Hamilton said he planned on playing basketball, football, and running track and field in high school.
MIA’s five program areas are recreation, tutoring, community service, life skills development, and career development said Smith. Saturday’s seminar started at the root of personal development: the mindset. Smith spoke to the assembled youth about attitudes. “Today is about success,” he said, “It starts with `your mindset.” “If you’re satisfied with getting C’s, that’s not a successful mindset,” Smith said. He went on to talk about appearance and goal-setting as steps to success. “Dress like where you want to be, the CEO, the boss. Appearance brings out confidence, but don’t think you’re better than someone else. Don’t be cocky. You’ve got to put success into yourself.” He went on to say, “You have to have something to measure success. Set goals.” Smith used the example of report cards and graduating from one grade to the next. “Act like you know you’re going somewhere,” he said. The next MIA session, Smith said, will cover succeeding in school. “We try to do things that make sense to what we’ve already done.”
The hands-on part of MIA covers a number of facets. Smith said recreation, like playing basketball, is part of it, but MIA mentors also tutor the youth in school work, public speaking, mock job interviews, and attend classes in higher education. Smith indicated a college tour is on their schedule.
Smith’s background seems the kind to build a strong youth leader. He said he grew up in poverty with three siblings and a mother. He remembers his mother only being able to attend one of his basketball games. However, Smith said, “God put me through this for the kids.” Carlton Bouie, a chemical engineer and Florida A&M graduate from Deland, was a speaker at the seminar. Smith said it was easy to see how background and support make such a difference. He downplayed his own degree in criminal justice compared to Bouie’s. Bouie said, “Both of my parents were educators. I was going to go to school and I was going to graduate.” Bouie said although he’d never spoken to a youth group before, he said the more he thought about it, ideas for his presentation came together. “I’m going to talk about how attitude, not aptitude, determines your altitude. It’s about the choices you make,” he said.
Smith does have support these days from his wife of nine years, Yolanda. “I have a vision and she expresses it,” he said. “She has a master’s in healthcare management. She’s a walking dictionary,” he said, “She is my helper, what God meant a woman to be in my life.”
The youth were all particularly well dressed because part of Saturday’s itinerary was a photo shoot for a calendar. Photographer Paza Mitchell Pringle, said it should be out October.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: MIA helps youth find what’s missing