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Stephon Morales and Tacoi Sumler Stephon Morales
At the Youth Directors Conference, when
I first went in 2006 I thought “alright a free trip to Orlando sit thru
some classes no big deal it should be nice”. When I arrived and the
classes started with the speakers, I realized “wow this is better than I
thought” so many things were said that a teenager can relate to in life,
in school, and family wise. Pal has taught that life can be easy if you
make the right choices and follow the rules but the hard part is being
able to make or having the ability to make the right choices with peer
pressure around you all the time. It’s not always simple being able to
tell a friend “nah that’s not such a good idea” but Pal has given
everyone in the trainings the tools needed to be able to turn someone
down or reject them without turning it into a fight or argument.
In my four years of being in Pal and the
hundreds of events I have done I can say that neither of them has been
hard work, it’s been fun work. Anytime you get with a group of people
that everyone has something’s in common and you’re doing the same kind
of work it’s never hard. My Pal in all the events ranging from feeding
the homeless to cleaning mangroves in the ocean to sorting food for
under privileged families none of it has been hard work since I have
friend there that I have known for years. I’m the kind of person that
does not like being at home doing nothing I have to be out there doing
something so these community service projects have been perfect. Even my
friend that do nothing but sit at home playing videogames or stay on
talk on the phone for days at a time still have fun coming out and
lending a hand. Some people complain that their spring break or summer
they want to stay at home play games and hang with friends people ask me
what do I do I say I go help out Pal, they’ll look at me and say what’s
that I will explain that we go do various community service projects, to
helping other people to trainings to help out in life, they would say
why do you waste your time with that, I’ll look at them and laugh saying
why do you waste your time at home watching TV, talking on the phone and
playing video games while you guys are doing that I’m out there making a
difference and having fun with people. Funny part is the next week or so
there asking me how they can join Pal. Also Pal has shown me plenty of first.
The one’s I remember the most are the plane flights to New Orleans and
Washington D.C. Those will be experiences I will remember for the rest
of my life. These trips have exposed me to different cultures and
lifestyles. Also the knowledge I have gained I have noticed I will
always use throughout my life like a saying made by Dr. Calvin Mackie
“The man who knows how has the job, the man who knows why is the boss”.
Being on the Youth Conference Committee
(YCC) has given me the skills to be able to talk in front of a group of
over 200 people and not get nervous. I never knew I was able to do that.
Now I am able to go in front of a group of any number of people and
start talking about any topic that I have knowledge on without being
nervous. As time has gone on I have moved up from just being in my Local
Pal chapter to the youth advisory Vice-President in region 1 to the
Sergeant-At-Arms in the YCC. Along the way I have meet numerous people
that came from being acquaintances to being lifelong friends. I heard a
saying from a youth resource officer in my department “in life you will
come to know many people, as time goes on you will only remember the one
who have made and impact on your life” and now I can honestly say that
Pal has introduced me to many of those people ranging from the speakers
to advisors on the local level and my YCC advisors. All in all this program has meant a
great deal to me and it has made me want to be an advisor when I become
a police officer. I can surely say that I will be a Pal advisor and pass
on the knowledge I have gained to my kids and my Pal kids in the future. Tacoi Sumler
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The
Police Athletic League Youth Directors Program has done so much for me.
First off it has taught me how to care for others and place others
before me by showing me that not everyone has everything and not
everyone has the ability to care for themselves, that they rely on
people to lend a helping hand. By my local chapter taking us to Camillus
House, Sisters of Charity, and the daily bread Food Bank this has shown
me that not everyone has the resources and some may need some help and
how grateful they are to have a group of youths to come by and help. One
day while serving food at Camillus house we saw a women crying when she
saw us there serving the food and giving out water. When my advisors saw
the women they came to the conclusion that her was a young women who
still had her life ahead of her and for making poor decisions a teenager
it has caused her the future she could have had also that there were so
many youths there caring for the less fortunate I believe that touched
her heart and that she was really grateful for having us there. All I
have to say to that is that it really touched my heart and having an
unexplainable feeling of being able to make some kind of a difference in
at least one person’s life and being able to set myself aside putting
someone else in front and helping them till this day I still have that
feeling inside.