Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, the show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is LaCresha Grayson, Chief Visionary Officer at the Good Part Perspective, whose mission is to empower and equip youth with the tools, mentorship and experiences they need to build self-worth, overcome limiting beliefs and make confident, purpose driven choices for their future. Thank you so much for being here.
LaCresha Grayson
Thank you for having me.
Maya Gwynn
Yeah, I'm excited to talk to you. That's an amazing mission, especially right now. I wanted to start from the beginning. Can you tell us the story behind the Good Part Perspective, and how does it differ from other traditional youth mentoring or development programs.
LaCresha Grayson
Yeah. So, the story behind the good part perspective, keyword perspective is about bringing different views to the youth so that they can grasp and hold on to what we're bringing for themselves, and want to take on that accountability. Because I was a wandering youth, and so I always say I was from the show me state, because you have to show me for me to believe anything, so that was me. I just I took the long way home. And so, there's a lot of things I encountered along the way that I shouldn't have, didn't have to. One, out of sense of not knowing, two out of deliberately just trying to find something, but I didn't know the what. I always had it in my heart to help you see who they really are in this big old world, in this place full of especially where we are today, full of action and movement and confusion and chaos, but to be grounded and understand who they are and their capabilities and the power that's within them. And so, bringing perspective was big to me. How can I get them to see that's my question, especially some of the youth I serve, which is catered to foster youth, just as involved youth, social economically disadvantaged youth at promise youth, those who were on the tracks but didn't start at the same blocks as everyone else. Right before I go out, I'm always saying, “How can I get to them? How will they hear? How will they understand? What will I say?” My goal is to reach them. My goal is not just to show up for a moment in time, is to actually reach them.
Maya Gwynn
How has your own lived experiences shaped the way you connect and mentor young people?
LaCresha Grayson
I know I'm a bit older, and so sometimes you know, you do need to bring people in front of them that are their age, and then they can relate to but I'm really transparent. I also tell my children sometimes, like these youth out here, they know more about me than you guys do. They really do. Because with them, I need to share my lived experience. I need them to know. I actually developed this one workshop called You Be the Judge, because I wanted them to see how perception and how we're perceived, and I threw up some old pictures of me, right? And so first I asked them, “Who do you see before you?” And they were just like, “a professional, beautiful black business woman.” And they were going on and on. And so, we went through- we had all these different pictures of different people. And then one popped in of me from oh, and I was like, “Who's that?” And they were like, “Oh, she don't play no games.” And so, it was a whole different individual, right? And so-
Maya Gwynn
I really like that workshop.
LaCresha Grayson
Yeah, they loved it. They were engaged because they got to judge. And then we talked about what that looks like for them. You know what I mean? Not that we have to take other people's opinions, but how we show up does matter.
Maya Gwynn
In working with fostered and justice involved youth, what systemic barriers do you see most often standing in their way? Specifically, in the Inland Empire.
LaCresha Grayson
Resource. Not having them, because there's a lot of us out there, actually, but knowing where to find them. But more importantly, it's a lot of them are withdrawn. They don't have their voices fully out there yet, but they got voices and they got power in those voices, right? And so, some of the barriers have to be with just helping them to understand and be confident enough to go and seek those answers and go and find those resources that they need. But what I also believe is they're not provided the same amount of knowledge of where to go get them, how to go get them, you know? Because again, they've gone through, you know, the Army says, 'what we do more before 6am than most people do all day.' They've gone through more before 6am than most people have went through all year, you know? And so, they do need a little more cater, a little more work, maybe a little more instruction, a little more hand holding.
Maya Gwynn
On your website, which is great, you emphasize purpose driven choices. How do you guide youth toward discovering their sense of purpose? And how have you built trust with youth who may feel overlooked, discouraged and disconnected from adults, or just disconnected from people in authority, period?
LaCresha Grayson
Yeah. So, one way I believe I built trust again is the small things. Again, the day and age we're in with social media and all that. Everything looks grand, everything looks beautiful and big and all whatever it is, but I talk about the little things. So, for instance, like I was with some youth the other day, and I asked the question, "Who has a hard time showing up because they feel they're inadequate to show up?" And one raised their hand. I must have hooped and hollered and yelled, because, you know what, the very thing you have a hard time doing you just did. That was huge. And so, that's how I built that trust, I let them know it's in them and it's the little things, they all matter. And so, I build that confidence. That's one more step out of that zone that has kept you bound, which is a big thing for me, is those limiting beliefs that kept you bound, right? They were able to step out. And so, now they have a trust factor that, yeah, I'm your- I'm the big- I'm a big old cheerleader, yeah, just supporting them and believing in them, who they are, right, where they are, with everything they came with.
Maya Gwynn
It seems like what you're doing overall is just creating a safe environment, because that kid wouldn't even have felt safe enough to raise their hand, because that's a very vulnerable question, too. And so, it seems like you guys are doing an amazing job at creating a safe environment for people to even want to show up. If you could paint a picture of the future, what do you hope the Good Part Perspective will look like in the next five to ten years?
LaCresha Grayson
We're across the nation, and we have multiple safe haven type facilities where youth come in and they go through an entire city or corridor, if you will, and they're able to find everything that they need to sustain and to believe and to go out and have a strong sense of self-efficacy when they leave there. And so that's what I would see. I don't know, five to ten years how many facilities would be, but it is there, you know, yeah.
Maya Gwynn
I mean, it's possible. We're gonna move to our rapid-fire portion. I'm excited to hear your answers. If your work had a theme song, what would it be?
LaCresha Grayson
Derek Minor, he's a- he's a Christian rapper. And it's called, "You Were Made for Greatness."
Maya Gwynn
I love that. And if you had to teach a master class or give a TED talk on a random skill you have, what would it be?
LaCresha Grayson
It would be, I'm gonna make you tell me no.
Maya Gwynn
Ok, like sales?
LaCresha Grayson
Not in- in life. Don't just bow out, and don't just let people keep you from getting what you want. I'm going to make you not just tell me no, show me why it's no.
Maya Gwynn
What is your favorite I.E. restaurant, or like a landmark, there might be in the Inland Empire?
LaCresha Grayson
You know, I would have to say, and it's not for food and it's more for nostalgia, because I have a youth organization. I hate that it's commercial, but it's In-N-Out. Even from when I was in high school to now, I watched the youth gather there. Yeah, it's good times for them. That's the why.
Maya Gwynn
That's a good one. And how can people keep up with you and support your work?
LaCresha Grayson
So, you can keep up with us on... we have many streams all that have TGPP in them. But, our website is tgpperceives.org, Instagram is tgpperceives. LinkedIn is the same, Facebook is the same, TGP Perceives. And so, if you just TGP perceives, you will perceive to see us here.
Maya Gwynn
Thank you so much. This is a great conversation.
LaCresha Grayson
Yeah, thank you for having me. I appreciate you as well. Thank you.
Maya Gwynn
LaCresha Grayson is Chief Visionary Officer at The Good Part perspective, find this segment and others at kvcrnews.org/bpie. Support for the segment comes from the Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments in black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives I.E. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn. Thank you.
