Accusing Youth of Greatness: Dermell Brunson's Arts Revolution (Episode 80)

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Fatima Bey The MindShif (00:01):
Welcome to MindShift Power Podcast, the
only international podcastfocused on teens, connecting
young voices and perspectivesfrom around the world.
Get ready to explore the issuesthat matter to today's youth
and shape tomorrow's world.
I'm your host, fatima Bey, theMindShifter, and welcome

(00:24):
everyone.
Today we have with us DermelBrunson.
He is out of Baltimore,maryland, and the founder of
LTYC, which we're going to talkabout in a minute.
How are you doing today, dermel?

Dermell Brunson (00:36):
Doing.
Great Thanks for having us.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter (00:38):
And thank you for coming.
So tell us, what does LTYCstand for?

Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center.

All right.
So what does that mean?
What do you do?

Yeah, Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center.
We are a 501c3 arts educationnonprofit based in Baltimore,
Maryland.
We serve all of Baltimore, mostdistricts and counties in
Maryland, DC and Hampton Roads,Virginia, With arts education,
performing and creative arts foryoung people ages 2 to 19.

(01:12):
We're talking music and theaterand dance and visual arts and
creative writing and culinaryarts and fashion and cosmetology
and media arts.

Wow, that's like 75 things you just
named.

Yeah, when you break it all down, it actually
can compute to 75 things,because all of those art forms
have subdivisions.
I think that's awesome, I thinkthat's really awesome.

So you cover a lot.
It sounds like you cover alarge area.
You're talking about theBaltimore DC area.
That's huge.

I don't think the rest of the nation
necessarily recognizes how bigthat actually is, but I'm
familiar when you include thewhole, both metropolitan areas
is definitely, you know, severalmillion, absolutely, you think
greater Baltimore and then DCMetro.

Fatima Bey The MindShift (01:58):
That's a lot of humans.

Yes.

Now I saw something on your website
that I thought was an excellentquote and I wanted to read it.
It says by providingopportunities and resources that
otherwise would not beavailable, LTYC programs build
higher self-esteem andself-worth in young people who
are yearning for success.
Yes, that statement to me isjam-packed full of stuff, but I

(02:23):
want you to break that down.
I want you to tell us howthat's true and why.

So we're called ?
We're called to be gap fillers.
Right, we want to fit, we wantto stand in the gap and make up
the hedge.
If there's anything that ismissing in the development of
young people, we believe we.
We want to do it through thearts.
So what we're having and seeingin the urban, suburban and
rural communities of theMid-Atlantic, we're seeing that

(02:50):
there's a great need to fill inthe gap and supplement for young
people where they might nothave opportunities to engage and
be enriched by the arts.
And so young people yearn forapproval, young people yearn for
structure.
Young people even yearn forcorrection.
Even the most sassy-mouthed,tough-talking kid, they really

(03:16):
want to have structure and havelove built inside that structure
.
So our little niche of theworld and the earth that we're
trying to impact and plant seedsaround is just through the arts
.
We don't do science, we don'tdo math, we're not doing
athletics.
That's not anything that we'redoing.
Our leadership developmentcomes specifically through

(03:36):
accessing and connecting youngpeople to the performing and
creative arts, to build theirsocial, interpersonal skills,
communication skills, theirconfidence and to be
strength-based using the arts.

I love that you have a very narrow
focus and honestly, I think themost powerful, the most
impactful programs are just thatthey're very narrowly focused,
because when you're narrowlyfocused you have that
concentration, you just can bemore powerful with what you have
, instead of trying to spreadyourself thin across all these
different areas and art still isa broad area.

(04:15):
But that narrow focus I thinkis absolutely beautiful and
explain a little bit more whenyou talk about the kids that
seem sassy, actually wantstructure, because I think I
know what you're talking about,but I think there's a lot of
people that don't get that.

So if you could explain that, Because you know,
normally in going straight I'mgonna go right in counselor in
the community of Baltimore andDC and working in facilities
where young people are in grouphomes or lockdown facilities,
rtcs, receiving treatment,receiving rehabilitation.

(04:53):
What I found immediately is thatif you lean into the strengths
of a young person, you're ableto guide them through the
unwanted behavior, and so we'rejust finding the good is what we
call it in our philosophy ofcare.
We're finding the good in eachyoung person, and so if I see a
young person that's veryarticulate, able to advocate for

(05:15):
themselves, as we would call itin the Black community in the
hood mouthy, right, I'm alwaysgoing hey, you must want to be a
litigation attorney.
Yeah, exactly, you sound like apolitician, you must be a
preacher.
You must be a preacher, youmust want to preach.

(05:35):
Just calling out all the thingsthat align with the skill set
of being articulate and beingquote, unquote, mouthy or sassy,
and staying away from the urgeto demonize the behaviors of
young people.
We have to accuse young peopleof being well, we have to accuse

(05:56):
them of doing well.
Because we use that wordaccusation.
The word accusation we alwaysbelieve is synonymous with
things that are unwantedbehavior or negative connotation
.
But I can accuse you of doingwell, I can accuse you of being
great, I can accuse you ofwalking in your gift, and so
that's what we're up to for team, and we want to.

(06:18):
We want to make sure that folksbelieve in that and we want to
give it to as many young peopleand their families as possible.

And I absolutely I mean you and I
have talked off air, so you knowthat we are just like the same
when it comes to our passion,when it comes to our youth, and
I, you know, I want to add tothat just a little bit.
You know, when we see kids thatreact, no matter what color
they are, no matter what theirbackground is because this is
true, whether they're rich,white, black, poor, chinese,

(06:48):
whatever when you see thatmouthy reaction or that attitude
reaction, it's always comingfrom somewhere.
90% of the time it's not comingfrom I'm just an asshole.
Sometimes it is, but that'sonly maybe 10% of the time.
90% of the time it's comingfrom a multiplicity of factors.
It's coming from somewhere.

(07:10):
And going back to what Dermotsaid earlier, they want
structure because, as humanbeings, we like when things work
.
We want structure, we wantthings to work.
And sometimes they're justlearning.
They're young and learning likethe rest of us, so they're just
still trying to figure it out,but within their circumstances,

(07:31):
within their background, withintheir surroundings, and that's
where the differences are.

I love how you say we want things to work.
I like that.

Yes, I mean that's what.
That's what we want things towork.
I like that.
Yes, I mean that's what we wantas human beings.
Can you give us an example ortwo of a child's life who has
been impacted by your program?

You know, without giving names, what we've
seen is sending young people ona trajectory of self-awareness
and self-evolution.
That's what the arts does forany individual that's connected
to any of the performing andcreative arts.
The first journey is of one'sself right, you know, being able

(08:12):
to have accomplishments,feeling a sense of success
through small, small tidbits.
And so we've, we've learned andmonitored young people that
have been in our programs, youknow from the last 10 years or
so, that end up going to artsconservatory schools, additional

(08:33):
arts programs.
They get involved in communitytheater or dance or music.
They are connected to a myriadof programs that a lot of our
arts instructors, who are thebackbone and heartbeat of our
programming, they are the folksthat are in the community
teaching our young people.
There are oftentimesrelationships built where the

(08:54):
stars of those courses and theirfamilies because you always
need the family to support andsign off on that type of
interaction are then allowingthose young people to engage
with our instructors outside ofthe classroom or the afterschool
or the summer program.
Right, and so we've been ableto just humbly monitor and
lovingly monitor.

(09:15):
You know how many lives arebeing, you know, pivoted.
You know from maybe looking attheir gift or their skill set as
something that's just a talent,versus something that can take
them to different heightseducationally, help them travel,
help them see themselves andtheir family and environment in

(09:35):
a different way, becauseenvironment creates feelings,
environment creates feelings.
Because environment createsfeelings, environment creates
feelings.
What you see, what you hear,what you smell, all of those
things create a feeling in you,even if it's sense, memory or
something you've neverexperienced.
And so we've noticed that youngpeople, when we put them in the
environment of the arts, itcreates a feeling.

(09:56):
It creates a vibe that'll neverleave them a feeling.
It creates a vibe that'll neverleave them nor forsake them.
So that's where we want toalways lean into.
Is that, looking at the lineageof those exposures that we give
to young people in music,theater, dance, visual arts and
all the things, we're noticingthat social skills are improving
.
We're noticing that awantingness of coming to school

(10:20):
is improving, especially in aBaltimore city, a DC, a Prince
George's County, maryland.
We've noticed that attendancehas been impacted because I know
that I'm coming to to get to myfavorite dance class.
I might not be paying attentionin my other subjects, which we
don't, we don't advise, ofcourse.
We want young people to stilllean in academically.

(10:42):
But if you're not feeling thestrength-based success that all
human beings must feel in somearea right, we talked about it
with you earlier.
Right, with something you'reworking on projects, websites
Once you feel that sense of Ican do it, it creates a thing,
and so that's all we're doing istracking that I can do it.

It creates a thing, and so that's
all we're doing is tracking that.
I think that is so much of whatyou said I completely agree
with and so impassioned aboutthat and helping our youth to
recognize that their gifts andtalents should be turned into
something lucrative for them.
And that's something that Iteach is one of my focuses as a

(11:23):
coach, actually, because I trulybelieve that every gift and
talent we have isn't just thereso we can look at it.
We should be doing somethingwith it and we should be making
money at it and not just workinga job.
It's a very different life whenyou're just working a job to
make money versus when you areliving out your purpose with
passion.

It's such a major difference.

So I want to switch the conversation
a little bit to others aroundthe country who can hear you.
They can hear what you're doingand are getting excited because
they're like you know, I toohave a similar passion and I
don't know what to do, but Iwant to do something.
So how can people around inthis instance we'll talk about

(12:08):
Canada and the US how can peopleover here do something like
what you're doing?
What advice do you have forthose who are just kind of lost
and maybe afraid to start anddoesn't know where to start?

for those who are just kind of lost and maybe
afraid to start and doesn't knowwhere to start.
Yeah, that's a great questionand you know I don't have the
answers from on high for that.
What I would encourage folks todo is you know, follow their
inner voice, that you know thatleads them, and persevere.
So if you're interested inhuman services which is
basically what we're doing it'syouth services, it's through the

(12:46):
arts and it's leadership andit's all of that, but at the
core it's human services rightwe don't work with computers.
We're not in a call centersomewhere, you know, answering
calls.
We're working directly withpeople, and so if you're
interested in working withpeople, especially young people,
then I would encourage folks toyou know, follow your passion,
follow your heart, and if it'sspecific to the arts, then,

(13:07):
which we definitely need, thatRight we are.
We are limited, we don't have,just don't.
It seems like we would.
Again, as you and I were talkingearlier, when we think about
the Western right civilizationand Western mindset and the
accessibility and the blessingsof the bountifulness that exist

(13:30):
there, you would assume, onewould assume that every young
person throughout the UnitedStates of America, including
Alaska and Hawaii and Canada,and even territories, puerto
Rico, wherever right, that thosefolks that are connected to the
wealthy countries, but thetruth of the matter is they
don't.
So if you're out there and youwant to do it, please do it.

(13:53):
Please find ways to start aprogram.
All it takes is one decision,right, life is about
relationships and decisions andthe decisions we make about
relationships, and so thedecision of hey, I'm going to
start it in my community, out ofmy home, out of my church, out
of my community center, out ofthe neighborhood school or rec

(14:13):
center or library and get thatgroup of kids together to start
impacting, please do it.
Get that group of kids togetherto start impacting, please do
it.

I want to dial back to something
that you said a few moments agoand it's related to the last
question that I just asked.
So you said sometimes you saidthe family should always be
involved.
We both know there's a wholelot of times where they're not
and there's a lot of kids outthere who literally don't have
support.
And this question is more of aninternational question because

(14:47):
there are a lot of teens outthere who genuinely have no real
support around them.
How do you get around that?
I know it does make things moredifficult, but how do you get
around that?

It's tough and so, and when I use that word
family, I'm using it in an allencompassing sort of way.
And so family is not just yourbirth family, right, but it
could also be your naturalfamily.
It could be that that folksthat's married in that, that you
know that, that foster mom,that adoptive mom or dad, right,

(15:21):
that foster mom, that adoptivemom or dad right, that mentor,
right, that religious leader,that teacher that took a liking
to you in school and you took aliking to that teacher and
they've been coaching andhelping you.
That coach, that athletic, thatfootball coach.
That's a family network that wehave to also believe in,
especially, as you mentioned,for young people who may not
have their birth familysupporting them.

(15:43):
They also might have a naturalfamily or an extended family.
Those three different thingsand thanks for asking that, so I
don't want to be confusing.
When I say family, I mean all ofthat right Is that we need
someone with the relationshipthat's the biggest thing I'm
saying who has the relationshipwith this minor, this child?

(16:05):
Yes, because you can, as an, asa community person, providing
the arts or any other resourcefor young people.
What you deposit is important,but how it's cultivated is also
spellbounding.
When you have the family right.
When you have because it's onlyso much you can do three days a

(16:29):
week at a football practiceright, you can have that
structure, you can have thatinput been happening in the
family dynamic, in the familynetwork.
It's tough, and connecting toyour earlier question about how
to see the recidivism and theeffects of what the work for the

(16:50):
arts is doing in the lives ofyoung people, we need the family
, you need to have that report,you need to have that approval,
you need to have that lifeline,that ability to communicate, to
reiterate messaging, and sothat's a powerful thing is that
we all learn through repetition,and so the ability to repeat

(17:12):
with a family or rehearse, as wewould say at LTYC, because
we're performing and creativeartists, so we rehearse Right,
we don't practice, we rehearse.
So when you're rehearsing thatwith a family, it can cultivate
the seeds for team in adifferent way than just that
one-off, you know.

Fatima Bey The MindS (17:32):
Absolutely .
What do you have to say toparents who are listening right
now?

Identify through your love that you have
for your child.
Identify what they're good at.
Identify the gift and call itout of them.
Speak it to them.
Tell them how good they are atit.
Tell them what you see for themin the future.
Tell them what you've noticedabout how well they do something

(18:01):
.
Again, accuse them daily of howgreat they'll be in the thing
that you see in them.
Oftentimes, you know we waitfor the epiphanies to come in
over life's journey.
Right, you know, it's the idea.
Oh, you're going to school andyou're focused on school and we

(18:22):
all have that fifth and sixthgrade.
Well, even earlier, shoot whenyou're five and six years old,
maybe when you're in first grade, and they're saying well, what
do?
you want to be when you grow up.

I want to be a fireman, I want to
be a policeman, I want to be adoctor, and so you tell and you
know that's right.

When I was a kid, Dermel, the first thing I
ever wanted to be was a magician.
I thought I was DavidCopperfield.
That's all I wanted to do.

Well , you are creating magic in our
youth, so you did live up tothat, that's powerful.

Thanks for saying that.
I didn't think of it that way.

I want to go back to something you
said a moment ago.
It reiterates everything youjust said.
Key thing that we tend to forgetas human beings, but especially
as parents and those who workwith youth.
We learn through repetition.
Our kids need to know.
Many of the kids, especiallythe ones acting up, need to know
that they have value.

(19:20):
We need to, as Dermell saysrepeatedly daily, accuse them of
the good things about theminstead of telling them they're
stupid little niggas or whateveryou want to call them, because
kids do hear that at home, inother derogatory terms, they do
hear that sometimes at home.
Reinforce the good, and even ifyou just look at a kid and

(19:43):
you're like, oh, that kid'ssmart, but you don't say it out
your mouth, you have no idea howmuch you might actually need to
hear that.

Because we all need to hear it.

We do Even as adults.

You just touched me just now, telling me
we're doing magic with the kid,like I never heard that Nobody's
told me that.
You just touched me just now.
You just affirmed something inme that I didn't even realize.
That was something that was inme from a four or five-year-old
that I thought I lost.
You just affirmed it in me.

Fatima Bey The MindS (20:09):
Everything we're supposed to do is in us.
In a four or five-year-old,we're just taught out of it most
of the time.
But yeah, you are creatingmagic with these kids.
I mean, that's why I have youon.
It's beautiful and we need morepeople like you.
So I got a special cloningmachine.
You want to come over to myhouse and we can clone you.

(20:29):
Let's do it.

I've been waiting on a cloning machine.
We've seen it in sci-fi moviesfor years.

It's time to make some clones.

I wish we would have cloned a couple people
before they start passing awayQuincy Jones and a couple, and
we could just have cloned abunch of a couple of other
people.
We'd be in good shape.
I think, right, dr King, wecould have cloned a couple of
people, but no, that's a goodidea.
The way we clone is throughmentorship.

Fatima Bey The MindShif (20:55):
Exactly .
We got to create the nextgeneration, which is why I'm
doing this podcast, because thenext generation needs to be
better than us.
We suck.
I want them to be better.
That's the way I put it all thetime.
I want to see the nextgeneration to clean up the mess
that we've left them and if wewant to be the change you want
to see.
But that also means creatingyour next generation of people

(21:18):
who can make those changes.
No, there's been no cure forcancer yet, so let's create the
next generation of people thatcan do that.

Yeah, we're going to spark the brains of
people that do that, you'regoing to do it and the work that
you're doing with the podcast.
I want to hear something thatyou or one of your guests says
and it'll enlighten.
You know, we're going to sparkthrough the arts.
We will spark the brain of thenext generation of kids that
will change the world.

(21:47):
Yes, and curing of a seeminglyI want to use that word
seemingly incurable diseases,because I believe that all
diseases are curable in someform or fashion.
We just haven't found the wayyet.
What herbs mix?

with other herbs.

Yeah, what elements?
What things are?
Other stuff, so young people ifyou always lean into the
creativity aspect, which is whyI'm very concerned I know this
conversation is not about that.
So I'm very concerned about thepushing of AI because it starts
to strip away slowly thecreative instincts and the
creative pulse that's spiritual,that we're starting to take it

(22:21):
away from kids being able tolean into ideas that provide
that eureka moment, that ahamoment, something when you know
it's been divinely inspired.
You know that you're not smartenough or academically sound
enough or experienced enough.
We've all been there wheresomething comes, an idea comes.
Once you start leaning too muchwith young people utilizing AI,

(22:43):
you strip it away.
The creativity is going to help.
Whoever that person is, thatwill find the cure for cancer.

That will find the next
technological advancement.
Very good point.

So that's what we're on that journey.

I have an analogy for what you
just said.
It's like a person that neverexercises and just sits in bed
and lays around and eats all day.
They will be unequipped to runwhen the Robert breaks in the
house because they're notphysically fit.
And I use AI too and I love AI.

(23:18):
However, I agree with whatyou're saying in that we have to
have it in balance, because ifwe rely on it too much, we don't
use our brain muscles and weare unfit to do anything.
So adults listening too,because there's some adults who
use it heavily right now too,because it is good for business
in a lot of ways but we shouldpartner with it and not let it

(23:40):
do everything for us.
That's where the balance is Forme.
I partner with it, not let itdo everything for us.
That's where the balance is Forme.
I partner with it.
So when I write things, Ipartner with it.
I never just do this Okay, I'mgoing to go to sleep now.
I don't believe in that.
So, dermot, tell us, where canpeople find you?

LTYCnet is our website.
Ltycnet, leaders of TomorrowYouth Center.
Ltyc Arts A-R-T-S on all socialmedia platforms.
Ltyc Arts on all social mediaplatforms.
And those pieces right thereallow folks to connect, read up

(24:22):
on what we're doing, support,donate, connect and also
identify how we may be able topartner school principals or

(24:42):
superintendents or folks youknow, youth pastors and leaders
that are looking to infuse theperforming and creative arts
into their milieu for youngpeople.
Ltycnet and LTYC Arts on allsocial media platforms.

All right.
Well, dermot, thank you so muchfor coming on.
I wish we had another 17 yearsto keep talking, because that's
about how long it would take,right, because we're both so
impassioned about our youth.
And please, continue to do thegreat work.
I really admire what you'redoing and you know I may have
talked about cloning, but I dowish there, I would like, to see

(25:15):
more Dermels out there indifferent communities, not just
in the US, but around the world,and we're all going to look
different doing what you do, butthere needs to be more people
doing their version of what youdo.
And if you're listening and youwere thinking about it, take
this as inspiration so that you,too, can make a difference in

(25:36):
your neighborhood.
And now for a mind-shiftingmoment.
And now for a mind-shiftingmoment, I want to hone in on one
of the points that was madetoday.
Jermel is doing amazing workand I'm so glad that he's doing

(25:58):
what he's doing.
But how many other undevelopedJermels are listening to me
right now, meaning you have apassion, you have a desire to
help those around you.
You just don't know what to do.
Start off on your block, startoff in your neighborhood, start

(26:18):
off in your household.
Start off in your family,encourage those around you.
One of the biggest things thathis program offers isn't just
refinement of skill, butencouragement, and with that
comes positive development.
You are capable of doing thattoo.
You don't have to create a big,massive program like he has.

(26:45):
You can just start off at home.
You can do that too.
You don't have to create a big,massive program like he has.
You can just start off at home.
You can do that too.
You do not have to create a big, massive program like Jamel did
and some of you.
Maybe you will too.
But I don't care where you'relistening.
You could be listening inMongolia, zimbabwe, in the
forest, in Brazil.
You can do something in yourvillage to help and encourage

(27:06):
the youth around you.
When you help and encourage theyouth around you, you are
setting your community up for abetter future.
Just think about that.
Thank you for listening.
Be sure to follow or subscribeto MindShift Power Podcast on
any of our worldwide platformsso you too can be a part of the

(27:26):
conversation that's changingyoung lives everywhere.
And always remember there'spower in shifting your thinking.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Accusing Youth of Greatness: Dermell Brunson's Arts Revolution (Episode 80)

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

All Episodes

Accusing Youth of Greatness: Dermell Brunson's Arts Revolution (Episode 80)

On Purpose with Jay Shetty