Building The Future Us: Youth Ambassadors On a Mission

• In Event: Unapologetic Narratives Through Direct Experience: Success and Resiliency Among Black Children of Incarcerated Parents

Abstract

Being Black, young, educated, employed and a child of an incarcerated parent is an honor. As youth ambassadors we teach our peers how to be strong and in power. To build stronger generations to come. In this presentation, we explain our role as youth ambassadors, describe the mission of Project Iron Kids, and our experiences in this position. We will also talk about how we use our experiences to gain employment at a young age. We discuss youth entrepreneurship and how we use our family businesses to help others and save for our future. In this presentation we use a lesson from our late grandfather who built and sustained stores to keep money in the family and build a legacy of successful business owners. We conclude the presentation by reminding readers that you are never too young to make your own money and give back in charity to your family and community. No matter if you are a child of an incarcerated parent or have a disability, you can be successfully employed. You can also grow into a business leader, be the President of your own company, or be the next trillionaire. This presentation provides pathways to success among directly impacted youth as discussed in the authors book chapters.

Authors

• Jaelah Brown Muhammad, Howard University

• Jian Muhammad, DME Homeschool Academy