Living in Purpose guides Augusta youths to a better path in life
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Yannik McKie runs “Living in Purpose” at the Purpose Center off Olive Road near Josey High School.
McKie knows what it feels like to be a kid with no purpose and nowhere to go. He lost both of his parents to AIDS.
The right people took him in and gave him a purpose in life.
With that being his story, he wants to pay it back through “Living in Purpose” by having after-school programs where kids have opportunities to find what their purpose is and also get a free meal.
Another piece of “Living in Purpose” is the “Men in Training” Program, which aims to partner adults with children to mentor and shape them.
However, the program is in urgent need of mentors.
Kamilah Freeman says there’s always a need, but it’s more urgent now than ever.
“Many of them aren’t taught anything. They are actually raising their selves, they’re in survival mode. They don’t know which way to go. And so they’re learning whatever they’re learning out on the streets, how to survive, how to eat,” said Freeman.
Organizers are looking for men who will take action and help make an impact in these boys’ lives.
“We, as women, we will suit up, we will hoodie up, we will boot up, but at the end of the day, we are just like an auntie or grandmother or something,” said Freeman. “We need the men on the frontline to teach them how to grow into men and train them to be men, and how to cope and survive in this world.”
She said an orientation is coming up to get mentors ready to keep boys from destroying their lives.
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“It starts with the mentors. If you’re not consistent, and they’re seeing a different face each time we have a kickback or trip or someone is calling them, how can they bond? And so we need to be able to have mentors that are willing to bond and to be there for them,” said Freeman.
The idea behind the Purpose Center is to let young people know there is a place and purpose for them in the world.
“It’s our job to inspire them to use their gift to help other people find their purpose,” McKie told us in an earlier interview.
“These kids need to understand that their pain has a purpose. They need to understand that their lives have value, they need to understand that where you come from does not have to dictate and determine where you’re going,” said McKie.
The Purpose Center’s doors are open to anyone, but the focus is on younger people.
“I see the child that is crying every day but they’re not crying because they fell and hurt their knee,” Freeman said. “They’re crying because they’re going through something emotionally and inside.”
Orientation for Men in Training mentors will be on May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Purpose Center.
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