Jamal* featured on Channel 2 News

Jamal* was on Channel 2 News!

Jamal is an active and energetic kid. He loves playing basketball and skateboarding. But his biggest spark is cars. Jamal absolutely adores cars. On his outings with his Friend, Aaron, he is constantly talking about different makes and models. He identifies cars on the street and shares details about their engines and capabilities.

In Jamal’s day-to-day life, he faces a lot of microaggressions and bullying from his peers. When others make fun of him, Jamal gets discouraged and does not speak up for himself. He has started to believe some of the negative things his peers say about him.

During Jamal’s time with Aaron, they talk about who Jamal’s team of support and advocates are and how he can advocate for himself. They also practice affirmations to build Jamal’s self-confidence.

Aaron took Jamal to the Chicago Car Show to nurture his spark and show him that his interests and dreams matter. Jamal loved seeing how his favorite cars had evolved over the years and checking out brand-new styles.

The experience energized and inspired Jamal. He was walking around the Ford exhibit when some reporters asked him if he wanted to be on the news. Jamal lit up even more! He felt seen and important. Initially, they just wanted a shot of him walking up to a car and waving, but Jamal was so attentive and interested in the filming process that they asked to interview him.

Jamal talked on camera about how cool the cars were and even shared his dream to open a body shop one day. While only a small snippet of his interview made it into the story, what mattered to him is that someone listened to his ambitions. Jamal was abuzz for the rest of the day. He will never forget the experience he shared with Friend Aaron.

Watch Jamal’s* interview here.

These are the types of experiences that our professional mentors are able to provide that absolutely set our kids souls on fire.