What’s Right With Our Schools: Team Mentoring Incorporated

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Summer Camps can be fun, but they are also good places to learn. Team Mentoring Incorporated aims teach kids the skills they need to express themselves and resolve conflicts. They can take those skills with them when they head back to class. That’s a timely example of what’s right with our schools.

Founder Freddie Brooks explains, “Team Mentoring Incorporated was born out of a vision from our founding president of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters David Floyd out of New York City. And the whole purpose of Team Mentor Incorporated is to deal with our kids during their spring, summer, and fall breaks. During the summer break we’ll do this week- long camp overnight six nights. And then during the fall we would do a probably three-day session where we will have people to come in and teach leadership, and health.”

Allison Jones is the founder of Allie’s Kidney Beans Foundation.

She says, “I was invited to the Team Mentoring Incorporated program. We want to make sure our next generation is healthier. We want to make sure that they have options, and that they have areas where they can go work out; have recreational opportunities. We want them to be physically active. We want to make sure when they’re in line at school they look for apples. They look for oranges. They look for beans, they look for salads, they look for healthy alternatives, not just only junk food.”

Freddie Brooks explains, “I believe that the foundation that our kids need is the community as well as the church with the school system involved as well.”

JaCquel Courtney is a student at Chatt Prep.

Courtney says, “I’ve been to the last one last year. And I really liked it. It had more people, but this one was shorter and actually a bit more fun, because, new people were here. I learned a lot about kidney beans… really mostly our kidneys, how different stages they go through; how to save them.”

Rusty McKee is the Senior Vice President of Stewardship of McKee Foods.

McKee agrees, “Team Mentoring is a wonderful organization for our youth. They come, they get to eat together. And they have these wonderful people from all walks of life are coming here to teach principles of life like; like, how to how to get a job interview. Even here in the camp outdoors nature. Um, they learn skills of working together, teamwork etc. It’s a Wonderful organization.”

JaCquel Courtney adds, “During the job interview I had learned about how you can however you present yourself is how you really can how you can really be in your best point in your life.”

Freddie Brooks concludes, “I had a career as a firefighter for 28 years. So, but if I could have had what we’re teaching them when I was younger, I think that would platform them a little bit better a little bit earlier. I would like for Team Mentoring to be looked at and viewed as an avenue that’s going to help my kid to focus more. I like for them to know that Team Mentoring is not the… the answer to all. But I want them to understand that Team Mentoring is basically looking at the foundation of the things that they need to be young people and be successful in this community.”