Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：0:01

Welcome to MindShift Power Podcast, the only international podcast focused on teens, connecting young voices and perspectives from around the world. Get ready to explore the issues that matter to today's youth and shape tomorrow's world. I'm your host, fatima Bey, the MindShifter, and welcome everyone. Today we have with us Dermel Brunson. He is out of Baltimore, maryland, and the founder of LTYC, which we're going to talk about in a minute. How are you doing today, dermel?

Dermell Brunson: 0:36

Doing. Great Thanks for having us.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：0:38

And thank you for coming. So tell us, what does LTYC stand for?

Dermell Brunson: 0:44

明日青年中心的領袖。

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：0:47

All right. So what does that mean? What do you do?

Dermell Brunson: 0:50

是的，明日領袖青年中心。我們是位於馬裡蘭州巴爾的摩的501c3藝術教育非營利組織。我們服務於巴爾的摩全境、馬裡蘭州大部分區縣、華盛頓特區以及維吉尼亞州漢普頓路地區，為2至19歲的青少年提供藝術教育、表演和創意藝術。我們涵蓋音樂、戲劇、舞蹈、視覺藝術、創意寫作、烹飪藝術、時尚、美容和媒體藝術。

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：1:23

Wow, that's like 75 things you just named.

Dermell Brunson: 1:26

Yeah, when you break it all down, it actually can compute to 75 things, because all of those art forms have subdivisions. I think that's awesome, I think that's really awesome.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：1:35

所以你的覆蓋範圍很廣。聽起來你覆蓋的區域很大。你說的是巴爾的摩華盛頓特區。那可真大。

Dermell Brunson: 1:44

I don't think the rest of the nation necessarily recognizes how big that actually is, but I'm familiar when you include the whole, both metropolitan areas is definitely, you know, several million, absolutely, you think greater Baltimore and then DC Metro.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：1:58

That's a lot of humans.

Dermell Brunson: 2:00

Yes.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 2:02

Now I saw something on your website that I thought was an excellent quote and I wanted to read it. It says by providing opportunities and resources that otherwise would not be available, LTYC programs build higher self-esteem and self-worth in young people who are yearning for success. Yes, that statement to me is jam-packed full of stuff, but I want you to break that down. I want you to tell us how that's true and why.

Dermell Brunson: 2:28

所以我們被召喚了？我們被召喚去填補空白。沒錯，我們想要融入其中，想要填補空白，彌補不足。如果年輕人的發展中缺少什麼，我們相信我們能夠做到。我們希望透過藝術來實現。因此，我們在大西洋中部地區的城市、郊區和農村社區看到的情況是，我們迫切需要填補空白，為那些可能沒有機會參與藝術、從藝術中汲取豐富經驗的年輕人提供補充。

Dermell Brunson: 3:01

所以年輕人渴望得到認可，渴望秩序，甚至渴望被糾正。即使是最愛出風頭、最粗魯的孩子，他們也渴望秩序，渴望在秩序中建立愛。所以我們試圖影響和播下種子的，只是透過藝術，在這個世界上，在這個地球上的小天地裡。我們不搞科學，不搞數學，也不搞體育。這些都不是我們所做的事情。我們的領導力培養，正是透過接觸和連結年輕人，讓他們接觸表演和創意藝術，來培養他們的社交能力、人際交往能力、溝通能力、自信，並運用藝術，增強他們的實力。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 3:51

I love that you have a very narrow focus and honestly, I think the most powerful, the most impactful programs are just that they're very narrowly focused, because when you're narrowly focused you have that concentration, you just can be more powerful with what you have, instead of trying to spread yourself thin across all these different areas and art still is a broad area. But that narrow focus I think is absolutely beautiful and explain a little bit more when you talk about the kids that seem sassy, actually want structure, because I think I know what you're talking about, but I think there's a lot of people that don't get that.

Dermell Brunson: 4:30

So if you could explain that, Because you know, normally in going straight I'm gonna go right in counselor in the community of Baltimore and DC and working in facilities where young people are in group homes or lockdown facilities, rtcs, receiving treatment, receiving rehabilitation.

Dermell Brunson: 4:53

我立刻發現，如果你傾聽年輕人的長處，你就能引導他們改掉不良行為，所以我們在關懷理念中稱之為發現優點。我們在每個年輕人身上發現優點。如果我看到一個年輕人口齒伶俐，能夠為自己辯護，就像我們在黑人社區裡所說的那樣，嘴巴多，對吧，我總是說，嘿，你一定想成為一名訴訟律師。是的，沒錯，你聽起來像個政客，你一定是個傳道者。你一定是個傳教士，你一定想傳教。只要說出所有與口齒伶俐、嘴巴多或無禮的技能相符的事情，並避免妖魔化年輕人行為的衝動。我們必須指責年輕人做得好，我們必須指責他們做得很好。

Dermell Brunson: 5:58

因為我們用了「指責」這個詞。我們一直認為「指責」這個詞與不受歡迎的行為或負面意義同義。但我可以指責你做得好，可以指責你很優秀，可以指責你沒有發揮你的天賦，所以這就是我們團隊的目標，我們也希望如此。我們希望確保大家相信這一點，並希望讓盡可能多的年輕人和他們的家人相信這一點。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 6:26

And I absolutely I mean you and I have talked off air, so you know that we are just like the same when it comes to our passion, when it comes to our youth, and I, you know, I want to add to that just a little bit. You know, when we see kids that react, no matter what color they are, no matter what their background is because this is true, whether they're rich, white, black, poor, chinese, whatever when you see that mouthy reaction or that attitude reaction, it's always coming from somewhere. 90% of the time it's not coming from I'm just an asshole. Sometimes it is, but that's only maybe 10% of the time. 90% of the time it's coming from a multiplicity of factors. It's coming from somewhere. And going back to what Dermot said earlier, they want structure because, as human beings, we like when things work. We want structure, we want things to work.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：7:24

有時候他們只是在學習。他們還年輕，和我們其他人一樣，都在學習，所以他們還在努力理解，但他們的處境、背景和周圍環境，正是這些差異所造成的。

德梅爾布倫森：7:35

我喜歡你說的「我們希望事情順利」這句話。我喜歡。

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：7:38

Yes, I mean that's what. That's what we want things to work. I like that. Yes, I mean that's what we want as human beings. Can you give us an example or two of a child's life who has been impacted by your program?

德梅爾布倫森：7:50

你知道，恕我直言，我們看到年輕人正走上自我認知和自我進化的軌跡。這就是藝術對任何與表演和創意藝術相關的個體所扮演的角色。第一步是自我提升，你知道，能夠透過點點滴滴的累積來獲得成就感。因此，我們一直在學習和關注那些參加過我們計畫的年輕人，你知道，在過去的十年左右，他們最終進入了藝術學院和其他藝術計畫。他們參與社區戲劇、舞蹈或音樂。他們參與了各種各樣的項目，我們的許多藝術教師是我們項目的骨幹和核心，他們在社區裡教導我們的年輕人。我們經常建立起這樣的關係：課程的明星和他們的家人——因為這種互動總是需要家人的支持和認可——允許這些年輕人在課堂、課後活動或暑期計畫之外與我們的老師互動。對，所以我們能夠謙虛地、充滿愛心地監督他們。你知道有多少人的生命因此而改變。你知道，也許他們把天賦或技能看作一種天賦，而不是某種能夠讓他們在教育上達到不同高度的東西，幫助他們去旅行，幫助他們以不同的方式看待自己、家庭和環境的東西，因為環境創造感受，環境創造感受。因為環境創造感受，環境創造感受。你所看到的、聽到的、聞到的，所有這些都會在你心中產生一種感覺，即使它是感覺、記憶或你從未經歷過的東西。所以我們注意到，當我們把年輕人放在藝術環境中時，他們會產生一種感覺。這種感覺會讓他們產生一種從未有過的氛圍。它營造出一種讓他們永生難忘的氛圍。因此，我們希望始終保持這種氛圍。

德梅爾·布倫森：10:06

Is that, looking at the lineage of those exposures that we give to young people in music, theater, dance, visual arts and all the things, we're noticing that social skills are improving. We're noticing that a wantingness of coming to school is improving, especially in a Baltimore city, a DC, a Prince George's County, maryland. We've noticed that attendance has been impacted because I know that I'm coming to to get to my favorite dance class. I might not be paying attention in my other subjects, which we don't, we don't advise, of course. We want young people to still lean in academically. But if you're not feeling the strength-based success that all human beings must feel in some area right, we talked about it with you earlier. Right, with something you're working on projects, websites Once you feel that sense of I can do it, it creates a thing, and so that's all we're doing is tracking that I can do it.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 11:02

It creates a thing, and so that's all we're doing is tracking that. I think that is so much of what you said I completely agree with and so impassioned about that and helping our youth to recognize that their gifts and talents should be turned into something lucrative for them. And that's something that I teach is one of my focuses as a coach, actually, because I truly believe that every gift and talent we have isn't just there so we can look at it. We should be doing something with it and we should be making money at it and not just working a job. It's a very different life when you're just working a job to make money versus when you are living out your purpose with passion.

德梅爾·布倫森：11:43

It's such a major difference.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 11:47

So I want to switch the conversation a little bit to others around the country who can hear you. They can hear what you're doing and are getting excited because they're like you know, I too have a similar passion and I don't know what to do, but I want to do something. So how can people around in this instance we'll talk about Canada and the US how can people over here do something like what you're doing? What advice do you have for those who are just kind of lost and maybe afraid to start and doesn't know where to start?

Dermell Brunson: 12:21

for those who are just kind of lost and maybe afraid to start and doesn't know where to start. Yeah, that's a great question and you know I don't have the answers from on high for that. What I would encourage folks to do is you know, follow their inner voice, that you know that leads them, and persevere. So if you're interested in human services which is basically what we're doing it's youth services, it's through the arts and it's leadership and it's all of that, but at the core it's human services right we don't work with computers.

Dermell Brunson: 12:49

We're not in a call center somewhere, you know, answering calls. We're working directly with people, and so if you're interested in working with people, especially young people, then I would encourage folks to you know, follow your passion, follow your heart, and if it's specific to the arts, then, which we definitely need, that Right we are. We are limited, we don't have, just don't. It seems like we would.

Dermell Brunson: 13:15

Again, as you and I were talking earlier, when we think about the Western right civilization and Western mindset and the accessibility and the blessings of the bountifulness that exist there, you would assume, one would assume that every young person throughout the United States of America, including Alaska and Hawaii and Canada, and even territories, puerto Rico, wherever right, that those folks that are connected to the wealthy countries, but the truth of the matter is they don't. So if you're out there and you want to do it, please do it. Please find ways to start a program. All it takes is one decision, right, life is about relationships and decisions and the decisions we make about relationships, and so the decision of hey, I'm going to start it in my community, out of my home, out of my church, out of my community center, out of the neighborhood school or rec center or library and get that group of kids together to start impacting, please do it. Get that group of kids together to start impacting, please do it.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 14:21

I want to dial back to something that you said a few moments ago and it's related to the last question that I just asked. So you said sometimes you said the family should always be involved. We both know there's a whole lot of times where they're not and there's a lot of kids out there who literally don't have support. And this question is more of an international question because there are a lot of teens out there who genuinely have no real support around them. How do you get around that?

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 14:52

I know it does make things more difficult, but how do you get around that?

德梅爾·布倫森：14:56

It's tough and so, and when I use that word family, I'm using it in an all encompassing sort of way. And so family is not just your birth family, right, but it could also be your natural family. It could be that that folks that's married in that, that you know that, that foster mom, that adoptive mom or dad, right, that foster mom, that adoptive mom or dad right, that mentor, right, that religious leader, that teacher that took a liking to you in school and you took a liking to that teacher and they've been coaching and helping you. That coach, that athletic, that football coach. That's a family network that we have to also believe in, especially, as you mentioned, for young people who may not have their birth family supporting them. They also might have a natural family or an extended family. Those three different things and thanks for asking that, so I don't want to be confusing.

Dermell Brunson: 15:54

When I say family, I mean all of that right Is that we need someone with the relationship that's the biggest thing I'm saying who has the relationship with this minor, this child? Yes, because you can, as an, as a community person, providing the arts or any other resource for young people. What you deposit is important, but how it's cultivated is also spellbounding. When you have the family right. When you have because it's only so much you can do three days a week at a football practice right, you can have that structure, you can have that input been happening in the family dynamic, in the family network.

德梅爾·布倫森：16:40

It's tough, and connecting to your earlier question about how to see the recidivism and the effects of what the work for the arts is doing in the lives of young people, we need the family, you need to have that report, you need to have that approval, you need to have that lifeline, that ability to communicate, to reiterate messaging, and so that's a powerful thing is that we all learn through repetition, and so the ability to repeat with a family or rehearse, as we would say at LTYC, because we're performing and creative artists, so we rehearse Right, we don't practice, we rehearse. So when you're rehearsing that with a family, it can cultivate the seeds for team in a different way than just that one-off, you know.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：17:32

Absolutely. What do you have to say to parents who are listening right now?

Dermell Brunson: 17:41

Identify through your love that you have for your child. Identify what they're good at. Identify the gift and call it out of them. Speak it to them. Tell them how good they are at it. Tell them what you see for them in the future. Tell them what you've noticed about how well they do something. Again, accuse them daily of how great they'll be in the thing that you see in them. Oftentimes, you know we wait for the epiphanies to come in over life's journey. Right, you know, it's the idea. Oh, you're going to school and you're focused on school and we all have that fifth and sixth grade. Well, even earlier, shoot when you're five and six years old, maybe when you're in first grade, and they're saying well, what do?

Dermell Brunson: 18:30

你長大後想成為的人。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 18:30

I want to be a fireman, I want to be a policeman, I want to be a doctor, and so you tell and you know that's right.

Dermell Brunson: 18:45

When I was a kid, Dermel, the first thing I ever wanted to be was a magician. I thought I was David Copperfield. That's all I wanted to do.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 18:53

Well, you are creating magic in our youth, so you did live up to that, that's powerful.

Dermell Brunson: 18:58

謝謝你這麼說。我沒想到這一點。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 19:00

I want to go back to something you said a moment ago. It reiterates everything you just said.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 19:11

Key thing that we tend to forget as human beings, but especially as parents and those who work with youth. We learn through repetition. Our kids need to know. Many of the kids, especially the ones acting up, need to know that they have value. We need to, as Dermell says repeatedly daily, accuse them of the good things about them instead of telling them they're stupid little niggas or whatever you want to call them, because kids do hear that at home, in other derogatory terms, they do hear that sometimes at home. Reinforce the good, and even if you just look at a kid and you're like, oh, that kid's smart, but you don't say it out your mouth, you have no idea how much you might actually need to hear that.

Dermell Brunson: 19:50

Because we all need to hear it.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 19:51

We do Even as adults.

Dermell Brunson: 19:53

You just touched me just now, telling me we're doing magic with the kid, like I never heard that Nobody's told me that. You just touched me just now. You just affirmed something in me that I didn't even realize. That was something that was in me from a four or five-year-old that I thought I lost. You just affirmed it in me.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 20:09

Everything we're supposed to do is in us. In a four or five-year-old, we're just taught out of it most of the time. But yeah, you are creating magic with these kids. I mean, that's why I have you on. It's beautiful and we need more people like you. So I got a special cloning machine. You want to come over to my house and we can clone you. Let's do it.

Dermell Brunson: 20:31

I've been waiting on a cloning machine. We've seen it in sci-fi movies for years.

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 20:35

It's time to make some clones.

Dermell Brunson: 20:37

I wish we would have cloned a couple people before they start passing away Quincy Jones and a couple, and we could just have cloned a bunch of a couple of other people. We'd be in good shape. I think, right, dr King, we could have cloned a couple of people, but no, that's a good idea. The way we clone is through mentorship.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：20:55

Exactly. We got to create the next generation, which is why I'm doing this podcast, because the next generation needs to be better than us. We suck. I want them to be better. That's the way I put it all the time. I want to see the next generation to clean up the mess that we've left them and if we want to be the change you want to see. But that also means creating your next generation of people who can make those changes. No, there's been no cure for cancer yet, so let's create the next generation of people that can do that.

Dermell Brunson: 21:26

Yeah, we're going to spark the brains of people that do that, you're going to do it and the work that you're doing with the podcast. I want to hear something that you or one of your guests says and it'll enlighten. You know, we're going to spark through the arts. We will spark the brain of the next generation of kids that will change the world. Yes, and curing of a seemingly I want to use that word seemingly incurable diseases, because I believe that all diseases are curable in some form or fashion. We just haven't found the way yet. What herbs mix?

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 21:58

with other herbs.

Dermell Brunson: 21:59

Yeah, what elements? What things are? Other stuff, so young people if you always lean into the creativity aspect, which is why I'm very concerned I know this conversation is not about that. So I'm very concerned about the pushing of AI because it starts to strip away slowly the creative instincts and the creative pulse that's spiritual, that we're starting to take it away from kids being able to lean into ideas that provide that eureka moment, that aha moment, something when you know it's been divinely inspired. You know that you're not smart enough or academically sound enough or experienced enough. We've all been there where something comes, an idea comes. Once you start leaning too much with young people utilizing AI, you strip it away. The creativity is going to help. Whoever that person is, that will find the cure for cancer.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：22:50

That will find the next technological advancement. Very good point.

德梅爾·布倫森：22:54

So that's what we're on that journey.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：22:57

I have an analogy for what you just said. It's like a person that never exercises and just sits in bed and lays around and eats all day. They will be unequipped to run when the Robert breaks in the house because they're not physically fit. And I use AI too and I love AI. However, I agree with what you're saying in that we have to have it in balance, because if we rely on it too much, we don't use our brain muscles and we are unfit to do anything. So adults listening too, because there's some adults who use it heavily right now too, because it is good for business in a lot of ways but we should partner with it and not let it do everything for us. That's where the balance is For me. I partner with it, not let it do everything for us. That's where the balance is For me. I partner with it. So when I write things, I partner with it. I never just do this Okay, I'm going to go to sleep now. I don't believe in that. So, dermot, tell us, where can people find you?

Dermell Brunson: 24:00

LTYCnet 是我們的網站。 Ltycnet 是明日青年中心的領導者。 Ltyc Arts ARTS 在所有社交媒體平台上。 Ltyc Arts 在所有社交媒體平台上。這些內容讓人們能夠互相聯繫，了解我們正在做的事情，支持、捐贈、聯繫，並確定我們如何能夠與學校校長、督學或您認識的青年牧師和領導者合作，他們希望將表演和創意藝術融入他們的青少年環境中。 Ltycnet 和 LTYC Arts 在所有社交媒體平台上。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 24:53

All right. Well, dermot, thank you so much for coming on. I wish we had another 17 years to keep talking, because that's about how long it would take, right, because we're both so impassioned about our youth. And please, continue to do the great work. I really admire what you're doing and you know I may have talked about cloning, but I do wish there, I would like, to see more Dermels out there in different communities, not just in the US, but around the world, and we're all going to look different doing what you do, but there needs to be more people doing their version of what you do. And if you're listening and you were thinking about it, take this as inspiration so that you, too, can make a difference in your neighborhood. And now for a mind-shifting moment.

Fatima Bey《心靈轉換者》：25:45

現在，我想換個思路，談談今天提到的一個觀點。傑梅爾的工作非常出色，我很高興他能做他正在做的事情。但是，現在還有多少像傑梅爾一樣尚未發展成熟的人正在聽我說話呢？這代表你們有熱情，有渴望幫助身邊的人。只是你們不知道該怎麼做。從你們的社區開始，從你們的鄰居開始，從你們的家庭開始。從你們的家人開始，鼓勵你們身邊的人。

Fatima Bey The MindShifter: 26:30

他的課程最大的好處之一不僅是技能的提升，還有鼓勵，隨之而來的是積極的發展。你也可以做到。你不必像他那樣創造一個龐大的、龐大的專案。你可以從家裡開始。你也可以做到。你不必像他那樣創造一個龐大的、龐大的專案。你可以從家裡開始。你也可以做到。你不必像賈梅爾和你們中的一些人那樣創造一個龐大的、龐大的專案。也許你們也會這樣做。但我不在乎你在哪裡收聽。你可能在蒙古、辛巴威、在森林裡、在巴西收聽。你可以在你的村莊裡做一些事情來幫助和鼓勵你周圍的年輕人。當你幫助和鼓勵你周圍的年輕人時，你就是在為你的社區創造更美好的未來。想想看。謝謝你的收聽。請務必在我們的任何全球平台上關注或訂閱MindShift Power播客，這樣你也可以參與到改變世界各地年輕人生活的對話中來。永遠記住，改變思考會帶來力量。