Graduates of the Born to Lead program stand with Nadine Etienne, executive director of Odo Achievement Center, and Laurene Experience, president of NJ Haiti Partners of the Americas. Three participants are not pictured.
By Nadine Etienne
Special to the Herald
Odo Achievement Center held a graduation on July 13 for the 10 participants in its Born to Lead program.
Through a series of lessons and activities, the program empowered youth by providing training to help them understand their leadership style and foster growth.
In addition to skill sessions like decision making and public speaking, the teens participated in memorable activities such as lunch with Anthony Vauss Jr., who is the chief of staff to Mayor Tony Vauss.
As the teens enjoyed Haitian cuisine, Vauss shared a presentation on the definition of leadership which included methods for youth to inspire change.
He also talked about the executive functions of the mayor and local elected officials before answering questions from the teens about his role.
Other program activities included a camp day trip to engage in team building, communication, and problem solving. With nature as the backdrop, the trip also served as a mental health break for the teens. The last activity involved a semi-cultural exchange with youth of the Haiti-NJ Partners chapter of Partners of the Americas. Youth gathered at Deliverance Fellowship Christian Church in Delmas, Haiti, to receive a virtual teach back session of two leadership skill lessons facilitated by Born to Lead participants via Zoom.
A few of the Born to Lead participants were recent immigrants under the Biden Administration’s Humanitarian Parole Program.
These participants confirmed the need for this type of youth program in New Jersey which has received an overwhelming influx of Haitian migrants who are still in need of services and resources. Haitians make up about 14.1% of Irvington’s 54,233 residents, according to the Haitian Times.
The program served as an opportunity for some of the participants to learn a little English and to interact with their peer group in addition to inadvertently assisting with their assimilation into American culture. The program was made possible by a $3,000 education and culture subaward from the U.S. State Department that was implemented by Partners of the Americas and facilitated through the NJ-Haiti chapter.
Education and Culture subawards support local community development initiatives across the Americas. As an organizational member of the New Jersey-Haiti Chapter of Partners of the Americas, Odo was eligible to apply for the subaward to conduct the project.
The overall goal of the project was to introduce the young people to civic engagement and instill qualities that will influence them to become proactive in their community.
Odo Achievement Center, which was founded in 2015, is a nonprofit organization for Essex County teens that promotes life skills. Odo provides monthly sessions on various topics such as college prep, leadership and good health habits.
Odo is aiming to replicate the program with more cohorts of Haitian teens and other teens of color through sponsorships. Contributions can be made to the Zeffy link at www.odoachievectr.org/donate.
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