Harlem student receives $10K to start mentorship program

A Harlem High School student just received a grant to support his idea to help the younger generation for a better future.

Dante Jackson was notified last week he was awarded $10,000 in the Dreamstarter program to implement a mentorship program for elementary school students.

He said he hopes to see younger students make good choices and build a bright future for this community. 

"It really came from, I guess, how I was raised because I feel like a lot of kids around here lack work ethic, they really don't do anything unless they are getting something out of it, and unless they plan to go to college or anything they don't really try, and that's why I feel like I could help younger people," Jackson, a Harlem High School junior, said.

He said he feels that younger people could be mentored and be given a mindset to work for something even if a reward isn't given right away.

"My grandma always pushed me to strive for good grades and to work really hard, and I never really got an instant prize or, like, a big prize or anything, but I still felt really accomplished just getting those good grades and being probably one of the top people in my class," Jackson said.

Working for a reward that isn't given right away is OK and younger people should learn that, he said, adding that children need to learn to do their best in the classroom, so they can be what they want to be and be successful.

Receiving the grant for his project was unexpected, he added.

"It feels unreal, pretty much because there were so many people that tried out, and then just receiving the first email that we were in the semifinals, which was, I think, the top 20, was pretty exciting and I liked it, but I didn't really think the whole idea of mentoring younger elementary students would get that far," Jackson said.

Harlem High School English Language Arts teacher and Youth Leadership Team advisor Crystal Doney said the application for the grant had to include this year's Dreamstarter theme, "Health and Wellness."

"I'm really excited because one of the things I teach in this classroom is to speak up for yourself, to be an advocate for those who can't speak for themselves, to be able to articulate to get the message out there and, so, when my students are doing that beyond the classroom, as a teacher, that is my biggest reward," she said. "When a student goes beyond what I'm trying to teach in the classroom and does what I've asked them to do, just having an interview and being able to speak, being able to tell you their story, that's what I want."

She said she thinks sometimes as Native Americans they get pushed aside, but they still have a voice and want her students to use that.

Last year, Doney said, she applied for the teacher component of Dreamstarters and won $1,000 which she used it for the Harlem Youth Leadership Team.

She said she learned about the student component of the Dreamstarters grant last summer and was encouraged to apply.

She announced the idea to her students last fall and asked if they were interested, and they presented some ideas to her.

She selected Jackson's project and the application was sent in December. In January she was told it was in the semifinals and last week that it was one of the winners, she said.

"I was just really excited because, again, this is another reason why I do what I do as a teacher. This goes beyond the classroom," Doney said.

She said the the Youth Leadership Team will be going to Virginia in April to learn how it should use the grant received and the complete documentation it could entail.

She added that she would like to implement Jackson's project by next school year.

The Harlem Youth Leadership Team, which the students can join once they enter seventh grade, began with giving the students a voice, she said.

"Here's your chance, say what you want to say," she said. "We went to the tribal council with ideas and it was just a classroom project, but has continued to grow. It just started with little things at a time, like let's go and help with the Christmas program, let's help pass out presents, last year we did eggs, we filled up eggs with candy and it's just little laborious things, but with a lot of kids doing it, it's not so bad and then they know they have a reason for it, so they do it willingly."

The students got excited about these ideas because it contributes to their community, Doney added.

Jackson said he wants to continue what he is trying to do as an adult, in the film industry.

"I'm really into making something that really sends a message to somebody," he said, adding that he wants to go into that industry when he finishes school.

"I have a knack for video editing, film editing, so I think that's the industry I should go toward," he said.

He is part of Harlem High School's extracurricular moviemaking activity, Milk River Productions, which is made up of a number of students at Harlem High School and has a number of school advisors who help them learn and produce films which the students create. The group also receives assistance from MAPS Media Institute, which helps the group submit films to competitions and different festivals across the country.

He said the group created a documentary last year about how within the school the students preserve their culture.

The documentary was accepted to showcase in the Big Sky film festival in February, and was also accepted into the Portland International Film Festival.

"We were one of the few student-driven films that were accepted and we actually ended up winning an award called, 'The Heart Award,' Jackson said. 

He said the group's film will be showcased Saturday, March 14.