Motivational speaker Kevin Bracy of Sacramento had 500 Vallejo eighth graders on the edge of their seats.
“When your mind goes negative,” said Bracy, “Your mouth goes…”
“Positive!” the crowd roared in unison.
Bracy was one of several speakers late last month at Kaiser Permanente’s Empower Youth Summit at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. The summit, now in its seventh year, motivates eighth graders transitioning to high school to stay positive, get good grades, and look to the future.
That goal is not an easy task for many in communities like Vallejo.
Bracy told students there was alcoholism and violence in his life starting at an early age. Friends died. Some went to prison. But he persevered with positive self-talk, became a professional baseball player, and moved on to a career in motivational speaking.
“Talk yourself into greatness every single day. That’s my message,” said Bracy before going on stage. “What you say to yourself, about yourself, about your future, that matters.”
Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Ob-Gyn Tanisha Silas-Young, MD, had similar early challenges growing up in Vallejo. She used sports and academics to lift her spirits and propel her to success.
“When I was young, I moved to LA with my mom and endured physical abuse by my new stepdad, so I moved back to Vallejo,” said Dr. Silas-Young. “Like some of you, I became the mother of the house at age 9, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of my siblings. I lost 2 of my brothers along the way.”
Her best friend was later murdered.
“With all that trauma and feeling hopeless, I chose to control the things I could control,” Dr. Silas-Young told the students. “I surrounded myself with positive people. My track and basketball coaches, my teachers, they kept me out of harmful situations. I channeled my frustration to the basketball court or the track. And if there was a dangerous thing going on in my neighborhood, guess what? I was at practice where I was safe.”
Vallejo Charter School student Domingo Mouton, 14, who attended the summit before being turned loose in the amusement park with the others, said he liked the messages of the day. He wants to play basketball in high school, and sees challenge, not fear, in facing the bigger older kids he’ll be up against on the court as a freshman.
“I think today has been helpful in teaching us how to improve our mind set,” said Mouton. “And we heard the things not to do. Like drugs.”
Angel Banks, a school psychologist at Hogan Middle School in Vallejo, said the Empower Youth Summit is a bright spot for kids each year in a city that has cut youth resources.
“Our city struggles with youth engagement, especially for this age group that can be overwhelmed by society, puberty, and social media,” said Banks during the summit. “That’s why this is such a great event where our kids get excited about staying in school. And they get the day at the amusement park. The kids all know about it from the older siblings and friends who came the year before.”
