Earlier than Damian Valentine was mentoring boys throughout Houston, he was only a younger father making an attempt to guide by instance.
Raised on James Franklin Road in Acres Houses, Valentine grew up in a house grounded in religion, accountability, and robust fatherhood. His father, David, was a frontrunner of their household and the neighborhood. And like his father, Damian attended George Washington Carver Excessive College and Prairie View A&M College (PVAMU).
It was at PVAMU that Valentine turned a father himself. And in 2010, when he gained full custody of his 10-year-old son Devante, every little thing modified.
“We reside in a society the place a father or a person might simply say, ‘Go be raised along with your mother,’” he stated. “However my dad took on that accountability. So I already had the blueprint on learn how to be a robust Christian father and that’s one thing I’m grateful for.”
What started as private accountability shortly turned a bigger mission. To his pals, household and neighborhood, Valentine is called the “Man of Many Hats.” He’s a music artist, writer, actor, and trend fanatic and every function is a part of the toolkit he brings to his actual objective: mentoring the subsequent era.
That led him to create Younger Kings Mentoring Group, a Houston-based nonprofit targeted on empowering younger males by schooling, sports activities, and leisure. By aligning his passions with what the youth already gravitated towards, Valentine constructed a program the place progress doesn’t simply really feel like steering—it seems like inspiration.
Lots of his son’s pals didn’t have father figures or mentors. These younger males referred to as him “Dad.” Valentine was dedicated to being that help system for younger males on this metropolis.
The Okay.I.N.G. blueprint
On the core of the Younger Kings Mentoring Group is the Okay.I.N.G. precept: Data, Integrity, The Aristocracy and Gentleman. He created this curriculum, symbolized in a crown worn by a cartoon model of his son within the guide titled I Am A King. Mentees earn a stone for every trait, culminating in a crowning ceremony that affirms their progress.
“I have a look at the schooling system and I say, ‘What did we omit?’ We’re doing a lot, however what did we omit? Once they stroll throughout that stage, they nonetheless don’t know who they’re,” Valentine stated. “I applaud everyone within the schooling system, all of the academics I name the trainer, superheroes, the principals, the assistants, the advisors, so I work with them and collaborate, however I do know that there must be extra.”
The Younger Kings’ area in Houston isn’t only for dialogue, it’s for creation and therapeutic. From recording studios to media rooms, it gives younger folks a spot to develop actual expertise and secure expression.
“I wish to put a younger man within the room, a younger woman within the room that claims [who wants to] pursue music and do it in a loving and inspiring environment. As a result of Hollywood and the leisure trade are harmful,” Valentine stated. “We’re experiencing a time the place one of many greatest music moguls is on trial. And lots of people suppose that that is what I’ve to do to get studio time. God is the middle and the core of every little thing that we do.”
The Energy of Brotherhood
This ecosystem of mentorship and creativity attracted like-minded leaders like Terrance Wright, a fellow father and Royal King mentor, who brings a health and psychological well being background to the group.
Wright, additionally an actor and neighborhood advocate, first related with Valentine by Houston’s inventive circles. However what bonded them wasn’t simply shared auditions however shared objective.
“We have been each in our communities, me in well being and wellness, Damian in leisure,” Wright stated. “However we realized we had the identical coronary heart. The identical mission.”
Wright’s story brings a strong distinction to Valentine’s childhood.
“I didn’t have somebody exhibiting as much as video games or giving me pep talks,” he stated. “So now, I do for others what I want somebody had accomplished for me.”
He believes the important thing to actual change begins with dialog.
“Numerous younger males simply want a secure area to speak about stress, relationships, stress. They’re coping with greater than folks suppose,” Wright stated. “And we normalize that. We present them it’s okay to say, ‘I need assistance.’”
Although Valentine and his group are firmly rooted in Houston, their imaginative and prescient stretches past the town limits. Messages worldwide, akin to Brazil, Japan and Africa, are pouring in from folks moved by their movies, content material, and presence.
“I all the time say we’re just like the Avengers,” Valentine stated. “Black Panther, Iron Man, and Thor. We’re all out right here, making an attempt to guard one thing. We don’t teleport, however we’ll take the airplane if we have now to.”
