Teen Magazine Literacy Program helps launch Jersey City students for lives of success
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The Teen Magazine Literacy Program has touched the lives of more than 70,000 kids in New Jersey since it began 20 years ago.
It helps students express themselves while providing them with education opportunities.
It's officially called the Pastor John H. McReynolds Teen Magazine Literacy Program, and with a strong team behind her, it's run by Pastor McReynolds' wife, Tamika McReynolds.
"Teen Magazine is simple, it's to motivate, to encourage and to let them know that you have a place that you can have a safe haven to be able to come and rock out with us," Tamika McReynolds said.
In partnership with the City of Jersey City Health and Human Services, Teen Magazine provides high school seniors throughout the school district an eight week program designed to help improve their overall well being through educational opportunities, mental health check-ins and financial awards.
"Our kids think they can't win, and when they don't know they can win, we give them the access to be able to know that you can have a shot at the title, whether it's internships, whether it's job opportunities or whether it's a financial blessing," McReynolds said.
The program culminates in a published "Teen Magazine," spotlighting personal articles written by seniors on difficult topics such as bullying, the pandemic and suicide.
"From the day they walked into my classroom, I felt greatly appreciated, I felt loved, I felt heard and I felt understood, most importantly," Teen Magazine alum Berodelie Saint Jules said.
The team consists of players from across the city, such as Abraham Lincoln High School Vice Principal Natasha Walker.
"It helps the students become more of who they want to be leading into adulthood," Walker said. "They get to find out what they like, what they don't like, what they're good at."
Retired Newark Police Captain Rasheen Peppers is a mentor for the program and stressed they're there for the teens to turn to when no one else may be around.
"This program does provide children to open up about situations that are going on in their lives, things that are happening that they're not sharing with the counselors, they're not sharing with the adults, but because we're spending this quality time with them, it begins to close in the gap," Peppers said.
Also on the team is HOT 97's DJ Wallah, who said he makes sure the teens who take part in the program have fun.
"We all were teenagers once upon a time, we all needed a little bit of help, whether it was financially, just some advice or just some motivation," DJ Wallah said.
"We literately create a vehicle for them to know that -- don't stop, and even if you get knocked down, get your butts back up -- to let you know that we have people behind you, that we're ready to fight for you," McReynolds said.