G.I.V.E., the new club sponsored by Julius Cosby and Christopher Zinn, aspires to bring a positive influence on young men at the Hill.
Inspired by Cosby’s coworkers Thomas Mayfield and James Lewis from his previous school, G.I.V.E. is a young men mentorship program. After seeing the positive outcome that the club had at Warren Central High School, Cosby decided to bring the club to Center Hill. “Kids flocked to it,” explained Cosby, “and that made me want to bring it this way.”
G.I.V.E., like Beta club and National Honor Society, is an invite-only group. After several discussions with administration and fellow teachers, Cosby and Zinn hand-selected the boys who would be invited to join the group. “We had to narrow down who we wanted for the club,” stated Cosby, “you know, who we think needed it.”
The two teachers hope G.I.V.E. supplies the motivation and skills needed to turn boys into commendable young men. “This is a diverse school, so you have some kids that probably need some polishing up, that need some mentors that can stay in their ear, encourage them on good behavior,” said Zinn.
Cosby and Zinn want to see the G.I.V.E. members become leaders at Center Hill, defying peer pressure and modeling and advocating for others to be respectful and positive influences in their community. “We hope to bring them out of their shells, see them become leaders in the hallway. [If they] see bullying going on, being able to speak out about it, in the right manner, not blaming or being disrespectful,” explained Zinn. “[We need] to get rid of the word snitching. If you see something, say something. Don’t be afraid of what others may think of it.”
Behavior isn’t the only thing the G.I.V.E. sponsors want to see their club members fine-tune. “[We want] to help them improve their grades,” Zinn added.
“I imagine the club just being a stage for kids to be seen and learning how to grow, based on what they’ve been through and what we can teach them, altogether,” Cosby reflected. For him, G.I.V.E. promotes student growth through encouragement from student leaders. “My biggest thing is kids teaching kids. Adults may be sponsoring it, but the students should be showing the other students how to do things—like tying a tie, learning to dress up for certain days.”
Learning how to tie a tie and dress in their best for special occasions can be an important skill for young boys to learn, and Cosby doesn’t want inequalities to hinder the teens from gaining those skills. “I don’t want guys to be discouraged about not always having certain things. Like for dress up days, if you choose not to dress up because you ain’t got it, we can find a way to get it,” he explained. “The group is more about being a positive figure in the community and around the school.”
Although the club existed at his previous job, Cosby wished a club like this existed when he was in school. “I wished something like this was there,” expressed Cosby. “I think bringing it here will be a great thing for these kids’ future […] It’s about moving on and growing, being a different person than when you started.”
