Like most evenings after school, Charles Houston Rec Center in northern Old Town was a bustling place last Thursday. In classrooms, youth engaged in dance classes, sports, and advisory programs. Elementary school girls chatted with visitors while waiting for their friends to arrive. And male mentors and mentees gathered for their weekly The Untouchables meeting.
The Untouchables is one of Alexandria's oldest mentoring programs. Founded in 1988, it has for 29 years provided guidance and support for young African-American men in the Parker-Gray neighborhood. Many of the mentors in The Untouchables today were once mentees in the program, and came back to help the youth in their community in the same ways older men had helped them. When asked why they came every week, mentors and mentees alike shared the sentiment that The Untouchables helped teach them how to be good people and live their lives to the fullest.
Guests came by to watch the program from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mentors and mentees took turns taking the floor and working on their public speaking skills. Following the program, guests, mentors, and mentees shared a meal together of salad, mac and cheese, cake, and homemade banana pudding.
After dinner, The Untouchables received a visit from the Mayor of Alexandria, Allison Silberberg, who shared her thoughts on the importance of mentoring and how lucky the city is to have programs such as this one.
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