Community Highlights: Meet Rico Wint of Young Men of Purpose

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Rico Wint.

Hi Rico, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
We started YMOP by accident as the “Tuesday afternoon boys group” at Aurora Central High School. I would take my lunches at work and come and talk to about 14 students or so, I may have been 22/23. I began to receive calls from other schools about working with their students and it seemed as though we were answering a need that we didn’t realize was an issue, social-emotional wellness for Black and Brown boys.

“We intercept society’s message towards Black and Brown Boys.”

Mission and vision: Manhood. Integrity. Purpose.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wasn’t always easy, but I think I was in a part of my life that I was naïve enough to truly build it from love and concern for the students. It wasn’t about the money, there was none, it wasn’t about awards because no one knew of our effort. Just a black man trying to lift black boys in excellence.

Money is always an issue in education, so you have to find a way to take a little and make it happen. There were those who said we couldn’t build a program for underserved students. Lastly, it was the battle of the self, learning that good things take time to grow, and perseverance.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
YMOP is a Denver metro area-based enrichment program that teaches Black and Brown boys social-emotional wellness, leadership, and academic success. Since 2009, we have served 40 Denver Area partner schools, 5000 boys, and numerous training and consultations for school leadership. YMOP is making a difference in the lives of our students and in the Denver community. We intercept society’s message towards Black and Brown Boys.

For over a decade, YMOP has delivered excellence to the lives of young men of color. We promote social-emotional wellness, leadership development, and academic success. We encourage our YMOP Boyz to live by our core values: Manhood. Integrity. Purpose. Our students have better behavior, higher academic success, and increased positive outlooks on life. Most importantly our Boyz graduate!

Our Black and Brown boys are inundated with every message society can offer. Unfortunately between social and traditional media, some of the messaging given can often be negative or limiting to their identity and outlook on life. It is this reason why we feel there is a desperate need for our relatable social-emotional wellness and leadership program.

In our 15 years of service to the Denver Metro Area, YMOP parents have noticed:

-Increased Emotional Intelligence

-Heightened Self-esteem

-Greater Self-control

-Demonstrated Soft-skill Knowledge

-Accelerated Leadership Development

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
Yes, there was a “Digital Divide” for students of color, meaning many of them didn’t have the technological structure at home, laptops, and wifi capabilities. We were able to secure 300 iPads from our partners at Array (Marc Crawford) to help our students stay connected to school and family during that time.

Contact Info:

• Website: ymop.org
• Instagram: @ymop_
• Facebook: @Young Men of Purpose
• Youtube: @YMOP