Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the workshop was part of Teach Me 2 Tie Inc. However, Brandon McLean is putting on the event as an individual and not part of his nonprofit. This article has been updated with the correct information. CityView apologizes for this error.
Brandon McLean, founder of the nonprofit Teach Me 2 Tie Inc., will host a one-day self-worth workshop for fourth- and fifth-grade boys from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at 5766 Rockfish Road in Hope Mills. McLean will teach youth positive self-talk and how to tie a tie as part of his I Am Me initiative.
“Young young men, we’ve heard different things about who we are which aren’t necessarily true,” McLean said. “And the more and more that we hear those things, and we repeat those things, we start to believe that as our truth when they’re actually not. So I Am Me came into fruition to combat that and change that narrative.”
I Am Me is a five-lesson course traditionally taught over five weeks inside elementary schools, with McLean already working in five local schools including Rockfish Elementary in Hope Mills. For Saturday’s workshop, McLean is doing a cursory overview of the entire curriculum. Lunch will be provided and parents can specify their child’s food allergies on the workshop’s online registration form.
A key part of the workshop will be filling out a two-column worksheet. In one column, attendees will write down the negative things they’ve been told about themselves. McLean said this column is often heavy for him to read. Boys in his past classes wrote down racist statements and homophobic slurs in addition to more common comments like “stupid” and “nobody likes you.”
The worksheet’s other column is dedicated to positive statements that go against what the boys have heard. Once filled out, McLean will group up the boys and have them say those positive statements out loud.
“The reason being is because it’s an accountability method,” McLean said. “So if they see little Johnny in the hallway sad or down or whatever, and they go up to him, say, ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ [And if little Johnny says] ‘Well, he called me dumb,’ [they’ll reply] ‘But no, remember you said in class, you’re smart.’”
McLean said the lessons are crucial for elementary-aged boys because they build confidence for middle school when the rate of bullying is highest, according to StopBullying.gov.
“I’ve noticed that this particular age range gets lost because people think ‘Oh, they’re just kids. They don’t know anything,’ or ‘They’re too young, they don’t understand,’ when, actually, they’re the main ones that need it,” McLean said.
According to an InnerBody analysis of the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System results and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, North Carolina has some of the highest bullying rates for middle and high schools in the United States. Results from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, the most recent data broken down by state, show about 38% of all North Carolina middle schoolers have been bullied.
Hope Mills Prime Movers Committee wanted to increase access to McLean and the I Am Me initiative through a single-day weekend workshop. The Prime Movers Committee is part of the Hopes Mills Board of Commissioners‘ dedication to engaging town residents ages 18–39 through events and policy recommendations to the board.
Kenneth Rogers Jr., chair of the committee, said Hope Mills lacked local youth mentorship opportunities. He said most residents have to search for and reach out to possible mentors on their own or travel to Fayetteville for mentorship programs.
To Rogers, having someone local with the same life experiences is crucial to helping kids who otherwise would turn to social media for role models. He said his mentor, former Terry Sanford assistant basketball coach Doug Ginn, was essential in helping him develop skills that led him to where he is today: co-founder of the nonprofit Rogers Generational Foundation, which works with at-risk youth, chair of a local committee, and economic development specialist at a company helping organizations access grants and other funding streams.
“Mentorship is a cornerstone of a kid’s life, or adult’s life, because it’s somebody that believes in you and someone that’s willing to help you,” he said.
The need for youth mentorship became especially apparent after Watch Out Cumberland County, NC — a community Facebook page dedicated to crime, traffic and other local news coverage — posted videos of youth jumping on cars and fighting outside Main Event at Cross Creek Mall on March 15. McLean said the video plagued him but reinforced why a mentorship program like his is necessary.
“Had they had someone earlier to say, ‘Hey, look, these are the type of things that we don’t do,’ then it could have possibly — I’m not going to say that it would have — but it could have possibly changed that narrative,” he said.
McLean said his lessons extend beyond attendees since he also teaches leadership skills. The boys from his classes often help others to have positive mindsets and grow their confidence.
For I Am Me lessons to take hold, McLean said parents must help reinforce what their boys learn at home.
“The young men are going to do the work, but they’re going to need your help to water so the seeds will be sown,” he said. “My expectation for the parents is to assist with that [positive self-talk] and not derail that. So, if you are a parent who is constantly negative, my expectation for you is to try to change that narrative as well.”
More information about the Saturday workshop can be found on the Prime Movers Committee’s Facebook page. Those interested in having their child attend can register online.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the CityView News Fund.