ORLANDO, Fla. – This week on “Black Men Sundays,” host Corie Murray interviews Shamel Akins, director for the West Orange Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.
On how he got the position — describing the director role as overseeing the entire building, coming up with programs and being a leader — Akins said it all began while he grew up in a Boys & Girls Club himself.
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“I grew up in a low-income community. So, in the community that I grew up in, it was either play sports or play the streets. So in the midst of playing sports, I ended up meeting the director that had a basketball program, flag football program, arts and crafts activities, and that happened to be in my community for the Boys & Girls Club. So, with me growing up in that community and growing up in a Boys & Girls Club, I fell in love with the Boys & Girls Club, right? I met different celebrities, athletes and also mentors that kind of helped me stay on the right path. So, once I had that mentor that I could kind of lean on, I knew I wanted to do the same thing for kids that grew up in the same community that I grew up in,” Akins said.
Akins’ strategic vision for his Boys & Girls Club has expanded the club’s resources and increased community engagement, he said in a statement, utilizing his background in education and youth development to develop a positive and enriching environment for young minds.
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As far as his advice for fellow Black men looking to make a positive change in their community, Akins said it must begin with getting involved personally. Be a part of that positive change, essentially.
“Education is very key. So you know, graduating college, doing the right thing, doing your classwork,” he said. “I played college basketball, and throughout those four years of playing college basketball, I was volunteering, I was getting involved in my community. (...) You have to have a passion for kids, you have to have a passion for wanting to give back. So I would just say, getting involved in your community, doing what’s right in the classroom, getting an education. I didn’t just have a passion for wanting to give back to the community, I wanted to be a mentor.
Hear the full interview in Season 3, Episode 19 of “Black Men Sundays.”
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