A recent Gallup poll found that, in America, nearly two out of three respondents do not consider themselves to be “thriving” or “strong” with regard to a sense of purpose. Among those in the lowest-income quintile, the portion of those who felt that their lives had purpose was as low as 15 percent.
These findings correspond to the firsthand experience of hundreds of grassroots leaders in the network of community organizations in Bob Woodson’s Center for Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE). These tireless and innovative men and women are committed to uplifting their communities and the lives of those they serve.
They address some of the most entrenched problems of impoverished neighborhoods—from crime and gang violence to drug and alcohol addiction—and have found that much of this destructive and self-destructive behavior is rooted in a lack of a sense of purpose and value. Their effective one-to-one outreach has forged effective solutions to devastating problems that engender societal disintegration as they revive a sense of meaning in the lives of those they serve.
A recent CNE conference provided a forum for 25 grassroots leaders to share their experiences and their strategies for individual and community revitalization. Among those who spoke was Omar Jahwar, the founder of Vision Regeneration, who has committed 20 years of his life to addressing youth violence and changing the youth culture in Dallas.
“Every day I get up and think how can we get the young people to believe in life?” he said, “I go to the gang leaders and those that the young people count as their heroes and ask them if they would be an ambassador of peace. Sometimes that works out well and sometimes not so much. But I do that every day and we attempt to implant the idea of peace in the minds of the young people that we serve.”
Jahwar was the first gang specialist hired in the Texas state prisons, where he worked for five years. His continued personal and earnest investment earned the trust and respect of the young men he worked with.
He recounts an incident in which he arranged a furlough for two of his mentees so they could accompany him to Washington when he testified before a congressional committee. As they were returning home, Jahwar’s cab went to the wrong airport leaving his two furloughed youths to board the plane themselves rather than taking the opportunity to escape. Not only did they get on the plane, they pleaded that it wait for takeoff until Jahwar arrived. Assured that it would be alright, the young men took their seats, and when they arrived in Texas, they called a cab to take them back to the prison.
Also speaking at the CNE conference was Antong Lucky, a young man who has been working with Jahwar for 10 years. The founder of the notorious Bloods gang in Dallas, Lucky created the We Make Real Mentors initiative in prison to help inmates get their lives back on track. Partnering with Vision Regeneration, Lucky continues to work with Jahwar to change the cultural environment of at-risk youths and eliminate violent and destructive behavior in Dallas.
Jahwar has witnessed many youths fall away again and he stresses the importance of sustained personal commitment in the lives of young people to keep their vision alive.
I don’t think we can diminish the importance of the human touch and the human voice. Change is possible not because of an idea or the technology, but because of the heart and the strength of being human and being alive.
