During the last three months, we have continued to focus on life skills modules. The modules prepare young ladies to cope with and handle everyday life. The topics covered thus far are building positive self-esteem, stress management, and recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationships. The young ladies also had an opportunity to attend Count on Your [...]
The best way to handle an emergency is to prepare! Thank you, Angela Vickers (CPR/ First Aid instructor), for providing lifesaving skills to the young ladies of the Rites of Passage Program! Congratulations to our 2022 graduating senior, Savannah Maultsby! We are so proud of you! We wish you all the best as you [...]
There is nothing more empowering than having the confidence to protect yourself in dangerous situations, and a young lady should always have the skills to defend herself. This month, Officer James White demonstrated effective strategies to fight off attackers and the appropriate time to use self-defense. We had a fantastic time learning [...]
Our mentoring program is off to a wonderful start, and we are excited to get back to a sense of normalcy as we continue to stay safe and sanitized. Despite the COVID circumstances, we will continue to provide empowering experiences for young ladies in the Tampa bay area. Our discussions and activities included health and [...]
We are welcoming young ladies, ages 9-18, to participate in engaging educational experiences led by caring and dedicated mentors. Enjoy monthly sessions filled with impactful life lessons. Meet new friends and acquire knowledge and skills that will enhance your future! Topics: Self-esteem building Conflict resolution Community Service Etiquette Health & hygiene Life skills & much [...]
Presenting the Rites of Passage Program’s 2020/2021 high school graduates! Congratulations, ladies, and GOD'S blessings to you all! Jordan Fields - Graduate of Riverview High School. Attending Florida A&M University. Zakaya Green - Graduate of Tampa Catholic High School. Attending Florida State University. Prayse Bailey- Graduate of Tampa Bay Tech. Attending Santa Fe College. Briana [...]
Derrick Brooks Charities Rites of Passage Program dedicated their last meeting giving back to the community. The young ladies decorated masks for a local elementary class in Hillsborough County. The girls want to help students stay safe over the summer, and what better way to encourage them to mask up by making their face coverings [...]
One of our goals in the Rites of Passage Program is to help young ladies take an intentional step towards improving their personal development. In the past two months, we’ve focused on life skills. Personal grooming, hygiene, proper dining etiquette, social, organizational, and communication skills were the topics of conversation. In addition, the young [...]
Allow your choices to be your actions to write your legacy! What will your story read? Former high school Social Studies teacher Curtis Sails spoke with the Rites of Passage Program's young ladies about their ability to make meaningful, responsible decisions and how their actions today determine their tomorrow. Mr. Sails based his discussion [...]
Allow your choices to be your actions to write your legacy! What will your story read? Former high school Social Studies teacher Curtis Sails spoke with the Rites of Passage Program's young ladies about their ability to make meaningful, responsible decisions and how their actions today determine their tomorrow. Mr. Sails based his discussion on [...]
Greetings and Happy New Year! Out with the old and in with the new! As we all know, 2020 presented many hardships for us all, but by the grace of GOD, we made it through! And, the Rites of Passage Mentoring Program weathered the storm. While adhering to the COVID guidelines, Derrick Brooks Charities continues [...]
Greetings and Happy New Year! Out with the old and in with the new! As we all know, 2020 presented many hardships for us all, but by the grace of GOD, we made it through! And the Rites of Passage Mentoring Program weathered the storm. While adhering to the COVID guidelines, Derrick Brooks Charities [...]
Preparing for the future! The young ladies of the Rites of Passage Program will have the voting process nailed to perfection when their time comes to vote. The mentors and mentees had a lengthy and informative discussion about the upcoming election, current candidates, platforms and the importance of voting. After the conversation, the future voters [...]
Welcome back to the Rites of Passage Program! Our kick-off meeting was held at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School on September 15, 2018. The agenda for the day consisted of welcome, introductions, program overview, rules, guidelines, and registration. Also, in preparation for our visit to the 2018 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair, we [...]
We are grateful for the Moffitt Healthy Kidz program for inviting the young ladies to participate in another wonderful event. Thank you, Nikki Inda, for exposing our girls to STEM education!
Our last mentoring meeting was spent having fun at Dave & Busters! Derrick and I had a blast with all of you. Enjoy the rest of your summer ,and we will see you again in September!
Congratulations to our 2018 high school and college graduates! India Philon, T’erra Johnson, India Green, Jessalyn Solomon, Mariah Davis, Bethune Cookman University, Taija Marc USAF basic training and Miranda Davis, Army strong!. May your journey continually be blessed with GOD’S favor!
The Rites of Passage Program traveled to Jacksonville, FL. to attend the 2018 National Conference on preventing crime in the black community. The young ladies were able to participate in workshops and forums that involved alternatives to violence among young people and other informative activities. Thank you Ms. Tresa & Ms. Sonya for chaperoning!
March and April Updates In 2018, we still deal with racism, and what makes it worse is our children face this reality every day. Our conversation began with reminding the girls of their worth and how unique they are. There was an open floor discussion for the young ladies to express their feelings about racism, [...]
The young ladies ended the month of February with a 5k walk/run in the Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic. Thank you, Hillsborough County School District for including the ROPP in this great event. After a great day of exercise, the girls later headed to the movie theater to watch "Black Panther!" If you haven't seen it, [...]
On February 10th, Mrs. Nikki Inda, the program Coordinator for Moffitt Healthy Kidz Program, hosted a CPR/First Aid class in support of Derrick Brooks Charities Rites of Passage Female Mentoring Program. In addition to hosting, Mrs. Inda spoke to the young ladies about building positive relationships in the community, the power of success and the [...]
December 2017/ January 2018 The young ladies of Derrick Brooks Charities Rites of Passage Mentoring Program attended Bridging The Gap The community & First Responders 12th Annual Community Softball Game. During this event, the girls were able to interact with the FBI, Tampa Police department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue. [...]
Topics for this month's Rites of Passage females mentoring session were Building Friendships and Peer Pressure. We had a great discussion about meeting new friends, the meaning of friendship, characteristics of a good friend and maintaining healthy friendships. Our dialogue then segued into peer pressure. The young ladies openly and eagerly spoke out about personal [...]
