‘Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood’ celebrates 25 years

The program, “Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood,” is celebrating 25 years. The nonprofit organization invests in city youth and 11 News met someone who went through the program. He shared his success story and how you can help more kids.”The reality is tough. Every day is a struggle, and when you come from these circumstances sometimes there’s not a lot of hope,” Imhotep Simba, a Mentoring Male Teens in the Hood alumni, said.Simba was born and raised in Baltimore. Now, he’s a college graduate with a son and a blossoming career. The 30-year-old credits much of his success to joining a mentoring program when he was just 7.”A program like Mentoring Males in their Teens provides hope and imagination and makes things that you see on tv, you hear about or you’re just not aware of a reality,” Simba said. Housed inside New Shiloh Family Life Center, the nonprofit group is celebrating 25 years of investing in boys and building strong men. Cameron Miles started it all with just five kids. Since then, he’s helped 3,000. His goal is to encourage young men to reach their potential. He said every single mentee matters, even those he’s lost.”We’ve lost some young men over the years to violence and that bothers you, so I keep their obituaries in my office hanging up, so it helps me to keep my focus to work even harder to make sure we don’t lose any more of our young men to the criminal justice system and then to the cemetery prematurely,” Miles, the program’s founder and director, said.Miles wants to change the narrative by exposing 8- to 18-year-olds to new experiences. Whether that’s harvesting honey, how to barbeque or chopping wood. Sometimes it’s just a thoughtful discussion about life lessons. Simba is still part of those meetings. Now, as a role model, with his 9-year-old following in his footsteps.”We just want them to know that people other than family care about them, want them to do well and “we’re investing in them,” Miles said.The nonprofit organization will celebrate its 25th anniversary with an event on Thursday. If you would like to find out more information or how to support the program visit their website.