Little Bro
I have a little brother, and he is only eight years old. I have not been a good role model to him. He has seen me do really bad things, and he thinks it is cool because I am his only big brother.
I have not been in his life for years. But I know I am a good role model, because whatever I do bad, he knows not to do that. He knows the consequences already.
But when I get out, I need to stay out, so I can do what a big brother has to do.
-Decoda
From The Beat: How long has it been since you have seen him? Not everyone has the opportunity to be a positive influence on others. Take advantage of it!
Setting Examples
What an older brother or sister should do is make sure the younger sibling knows right from wrong. When you’re the older one, they always look up to you. My little sister always listens to what I say, even when she pretends to ignore me.
One time she was exercising with me, and she asked me why I work out. I told her, “Look at mom, and look at me. Which one do you think will pass a health exam?”
Then she figured it out. She also laughed. Something I know pretty well is that little kids always look up to big kids, even if you’re not related and they just know you.
I wish other people would realize that even if you’re in a bad position of life, you could still be successful. Life sucks and it hurts sometimes, but you can’t let it get to you.
You just have to remember, sometimes we all feel pain, we all feel sorrow, but we all have someone to lean on. Even if we don’t, even if all is lost, you’re still alive and you can be thankful for that. Just keep your head up and look for a brighter day.
-Nicolas
From The Beat: This is a great outlook. Not only can we seek help, but we do have the ability to change for the better. We hope you can grow to not only be an example for your little sister, but also others that are younger.
Life
A perfect Valentine’s Day would be when me and my girl would go to the beach, walk the beach, and maybe pick up a few shells. And then it’s off to dinner, and not no dollar menu at McDonalds. Probably some restaurant, then to the movies.
It takes a lot to be a good brother. I have a little brother, and he’s a sponge!
He picks up on everything, but the things I would do for that kid. He’s the miracle baby. He died 24 times when he was born.
So to be that lucky deserves a good life without all its bad influences, but one positive influence “will” be ME!
I wish other people could see “life” the way I do! A lot of kids my age are out there acting hard, getting locked up, not caring about life. And it hurts, because life has much more to offer than three nasty meals a day.
Life is waking up in a good mood, smelling blueberry pancakes, watching your little brother ride his bike with excitement, because the training wheels are off; life is so much, so why disgrace it, embrace it!
-Joshua
From The Beat: You have a very positive attitude. We hope you can experience each of these things when you get out. Good luck on the outs and we hope you can keep yourself out of trouble.
My Position
What does it take to be a good brother? Well it takes a lot, because everything you do, they want to do. You have to set a good way for them.
I have a little brother and he is ten. I am not that good around him, but I’ve been thinking, so when I get out, I am going to show him better. He would do the same things I did when I was growing up, and I love him too much to let that happen.
So I am a better person now, for my brother and sister and baby girl, because I love them so much. So I am willing to give up everything bad to change my life around. That’s why I am going back to school, to be a bigger, better person, because I love my family.
-Dejuca
From The Beat: We wish you the best of luck with these future plans. Sometimes, we all need something that drives us to do better. A family is a perfect example.
Helping My Sister
To be a good brother for my only little sister is to do positive things around her, and not bring negative energy around her. What I mean by that is the things that are bad, that I do, are bringing negative energy to my house, and those are bad habits.
If you bring bad habits around your siblings, they will pick up those bad habits. That’s why I must set a good example for my little sister, and do bad stuff around her. I love my sister too much to be doing bad stuff like smoking or dropping out of school. It would break my heart.
That’s why I help her do her homework when she has it. That’s just one thing I do to continue being a good brother. I also tell her to do good in school. I walk her to school and pick her up from school. She sure knows her big bro has her back.
I also try, whenever there’s time, to play videogames or go take her to the park or the movies. I just do a lot of little and big things to show my little sister how much her big brother loves his little sister. That’s why me and my sister are close.
As much as I love my girl, my little sister will always have my heart. No girlfriend can ever have it.
-Mario
From The Beat: That is a very heartfelt message about your sister. We are glad to see that you have someone in your life that is so special. We hope you two continue to grow and build on your relationship.
Dedicated Sibling
It takes a lot of dedication and heart to be a good brother or sister. But if you’re the eldest, it also takes a lot of ups and downs in your life, so that you can gain experience from rights and wrongs, so you can pass along that experience.
Patience is also one thing that is extremely important, because if you don’t have the time to get better acquainted with your brother or sister, then how is that bond going to grow?
I set a good example to my little brother and sister by not doing any drugs, alcohol, or taking part in gang-related stuff.
Another aspect of being a good brother or sister is to spend time with your siblings and encourage them to do positive stuff. My relationship with my little brother is already pretty much rock solid, and can’t get any stronger, but I hope that it does.
-Alexander
From The Beat: It can be hard to be an older sibling, but the efforts don’t go unappreciated. We are glad to see that you are not involved in negative activity. We are sure that your relationship with your brother will grow if you keep out of trouble.
My Relationships
I have a little sister that is nine years old, and I have to be a good brother to her, and show her how to be good, and to not be like me, and to go to school.
I love my little sister a lot, because she is the little one. My brother is the oldest, and he is a good example for my little sister. My brother and me are already rock solid.
-Paul
From The Beat: You are lucky to have a strong relationship with your siblings. For many, being in the middle can be hard. We hope you continue to grow with your siblings.
Good Examples
I think to be a good sibling, you must set a good example, by not cussing or being disrespectful to your mom or dad, or whoever you live with.
If you smoke weed or drink, you should not do it in front of them, or if you’re high don’t go around them, cause they might think it’s okay to do it, or might try to be like you.
You should encourage them to do sports and get a good education, because an education is one of the most important things you can have.
-Thomas
From The Beat: These are some great examples on how to be a great sibling. Are there any other ways you can be a good example? We hope you can think of a few others and apply them to your life.
Different Minds
I wish other could see things the way I do. Then things could be for the better, because now they are not looking good at all. People are dying, and people don’t listen, so I am going to tell people to wake up and smell the grapes.
People don’t know what they can do, so we have to tell them what’s up. So now, when I get out, I’m going to go to them and start telling people about what’s out there for them, because we all have brains.
Some have great brains, some have slow brains, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something that you never thought you could be.
So we are going to show you what to do, so you can go out and show people what you are made up, because it’s up to you!
-Andrew
From The Beat: We are glad to see that you have so much positivity! People are definitely capable of surprising others and even themselves. How do you plan on applying yourself? What plans do you have? We can’t wait to see what you do.
My Family
What it takes to be a good brother, it takes to show my little sisters the better, and help my 11 year old sister to stay in school and get good grades. I’ll tell her how hard it is to live on the streets, and how drugs could take over your life very easily.
I try to set a good example for my sisters, but I don’t all the time. They see me in and out of juvenile hall, but soon I’ll change it, cause I would not like to see my sisters in the kind of path I am in.
I want them to be strong and live a better life than I did. I love my little sisters…only God can give them the better life to live than the one I live.
-Henry
From The Beat: How can you be a better example? Do you think that YOU can be a better person so they can have a better life? These are a few things to think about. Sometimes, people are surprised by the results.
A Few Plans
A perfect Valentines Day would be me being out of JJC, and being with my girl. Not to argue at all. Take her out to eat, like to Japanese Kitchen. Then after we eat, I would take her to go get something special, but I would have a dozen roses waiting for her with a box of chocolates.
Then I would take her on a nice walk on the coast when the sun is setting. Then I would lay with her on the beach and let our toes get wet from the tide.
After that I would take her back to the momo and sit in the hot tub with rose petals floating, and watch a romantic movie together.
I would make sure my brothers and sisters go to school and don’t hang out with the wrong crowd. To make sure they don’t make the same mistakes I did. I would reward them for the good thing they do, and take my little sisters to the zoo or Storyland.
I would make sure they respect our parents, and stay in school. These are some of the things I would do.
I wish people could see things the way I do. But I wasn’t looking at life the right way for a while. But now I’ve realized my mistakes will always catch up to me.
Now I’m trying to get on the right track to be that role model for my bros and sis, that I didn’t have. So make good of the life that you have, and be thankful for what you’ve got.
-Brandon
From The Beat: These are some great responses to the questions we asked. How do you plan to do these things? They might take some work, but we know you can do them! It can be hard to be a good example, but a little bit of work can go a long way.
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
