Toks Aruoture

Interview with Urban Synergy

Urban Synergy Black History Month Role Models

Eight years ago I created my first vision board. I wasn’t sure if it would be as effective as the writer of the article suggested it would, but I had nothing to lose. At the very least, it created a space to escape to while I was sticking pictures of dream homes in dream cities on along with favourite restaurants I dreamed of eating at without consideration of the cost. \ In creating the board, the question I was answering was, what do you want your like to look like? I added in a picture of kids in a classroom. As a mum of four boys, the one thing I desperately want my children to know if that their dreams do not have a ceiling. That desire spilled into all children. I was blessed to have been raised in an environment that celebrated my gifts and assured me I could go as far as I wanted, but I was also aware even from a young age that not all kids had that. A month after creating that vision board, I met the founder, Leila Thomas at a business awards ceremony. I told her my Rock Star Story (`Episode 2 of my podcast) and she immediately invited me to join her organisation. It turned out to be Urban Synergy, an award-winning mentoring charity that helps young people engage with role models who look like them. I am honoured to have been interviewed for Black History Month, please visit Urban Synergy Mentoring to donate or volunteer as a mentor.