Growing up in Worth County in the southwest sector of Georgia, Tye Fowler was raised by his grandmother, but it was his kinships with various male mentors that set him on a course for success.
“I grew up raised by my grandmother and if it were not for men in my life that taught me how to fish and how to dress and taught me about responsibility as a young man, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Fowler, who lives in Lawrenceville. “I didn’t realize how important that was. I wouldn’t be where I am without mentorship in my life. I want to pay that forward.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
An accomplished pianist and drummer who serves as music director at Encounter Church Atlanta in Doraville, Fowler seeks to share his knowledge and experience with young men in an effort to provide those young men with the tools to reach their goals as adults.
“Our ultimate goal is to empower our youth in the community and to expose them to new things and to really teach them how to be successful and teach them who they can become,” said Fowler, who moved to the Atlanta area eight years ago.
Fowler’s initiative, called the Dapper Mentorship Program, was introduced to young men at Shiloh High School at the beginning of the school year.
“We partner with Gwinnett County Schools’ community-based membership program and Shiloh High School is one of our partners,” said Fowler, who serves as the program’s executive director. “We do weekly sessions with high-school-aged males and we teach them elements of leadership, etiquette and discipline. We’ve been able to do that this past year and it’s been a great experience so far.”
The program — which operates under the umbrella of Made for Bigger, a nonprofit outreach founded by Dr. Gabriel Powell that’s part of Encounter Church Atlanta — celebrated its first year of existence in late April with “Leaders Make the Cut,” in which nearly a dozen young men from Shiloh got a free haircut and business-casual attire.
“Our overall objective is, with our group of minority males, we really want to show them who they can become and change the perception of how minority males can be viewed,” said Fowler, who added that there were 20 freshmen involved in the Dapper Mentorship Program in the 2021-22 school year. “We want to show them the importance of being a leader and making sure you’re sharp and making sure you’re always operating out of excellence in how you look and how you speak.
“From the very first day we met with this particular cohort to today, we’ve seen a huge difference. These young men know who they are and are really excited about their future and what they want to become in the corporate world. It was a great way to end the year at Shiloh High School.”
Fowler said free haircuts were provided by the Cut Lounge Barbershop in Duluth, adding that Amazon sponsored the purchase of Polo shirts and that the rest of the young men’s ensemble was purchased from H&M clothing store.
The Dapper Mentorship Program will return to Shiloh for the 2022-23 school year and Fowler — who also owns and operates Florida-based SGD Communications — said there were several other high schools interested in the program. He also said he felt driven to provide the same kind of mentorship he received as a young man.
“It’s one thing to be successful and it’s one thing to live your own life, but it’s another thing to be able to give and to empower the next generation of leaders,” said Fowler, who works with a team of 10 mentors, many of whom are successful entrepreneurs and executives. “That’s my biggest passion — making sure the next generation is set up for success, making sure I can share what I’ve learned for the young men in our cohort so they can save time.
“They don’t have to go the long route; they can go the short route because mentorship equals speed. I can get to my destination quicker through mentorship. That’s a big passion for myself and my team. We want to make sure we give the next generation of young minority men the opportunity be the best version of themselves.”
For more information, visit www.madeforbigger.org.
Credit: Gwinnett Daily Post
Credit: Gwinnett Daily Post
MEET OUR PARTNER
Today’s story comes from our partner, the Gwinnett Daily Post. The Gwinnett Daily Post publishes twice weekly in print and provides daily coverage of community news, events, and sports in Gwinnett County at GwinnettDailyPost.com.
If you have any feedback or questions about our partnerships, you can contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams via email at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
