Los Altos Agent Dwight Matthews is a caring adult with something to offer young men struggling to get a grip on their future. As a 12-year volunteer with Partners for New Generations, Dwight mentors young men in his community. He became involved at the request of a fellow Los Altos Rotarian who sought out Dwight because the organization needed professional black men to be mentors.

Dwight is a much-needed stable adult figure for young men to talk to at local Alta Vista Continuation High School in Mountain View. Right now he is mentor to two young men. Alta Vista students may have problems at home, or trouble fitting in with the regular school system. At Alta Vista, they go at their own pace, even an accelerated one.

As a mentor, Dwight said, “I do a lot of talking. I tell them about my own life. It’s not perfect. I don’t have any children, so I talk about my nieces and nephews and the problems they have – they’re not so different.”

“I tell them this is their life, and they can do with it what they want to.” By talking and listening, he helps them find a balance between what they want and how they get there. “What you do now has a definite affect on your future,” Dwight said. “I tell my kids you have to plan. Do things right from the get go, so you’re ready when the opportunity comes.”

Let them know they’re special

“I’m not exaggerating,” Dwight said, “but I’ve found that everyone has a talent that no one else has. Even someone who is slow at learning, or mentally challenged.” He’s been helping young men find their talents and let these give their lives direction. One of Dwight’s mentees, Alta Vista Senior Mitchell Jefferson, shows promise with his piano playing and composing. It’s something he has real passion for.

At first, Dwight was unsure of what he could offer. In fact, he said, “I stumbled and I fell. Then, all of a sudden, I got it. You think you know what their problem is, but you have to learn how to listen. You think you know what the best thing to tell these young men is. I’ve learned to let them tell themselves!”

A mentee’s perspective

“Dwight and I meet every two weeks over a “very, very long discussion over lunch at Chili’s,” Mitch said. “We talk about random topics. He gives me his perspective and I give him mine.” This is where Dwight’s listening skills become critical. Dwight listens and then answers Mitch’s questions, like, “How did you get to where you are?”

Dwight tells Mitch about his own life of highs and lows. Two things really stand out for Mitch.

“Dwight tells me, ‘Never get depressed about something bad that happens today, because something great may happen tomorrow,’” Mitch said, and added that Dwight has let him see that, “Responsibility is everything.”

The reward is mutual

Dwight helps keep his mentees on track – staying in school, getting good grades, and finding positive direction in their lives. And, Alta Vista and nearby Foothill College work together to see that graduating seniors are automatically enrolled in the college.

The goal of the whole program, Dwight explained, “Is not to force your values on your mentee, but to just be there and show that you care about them, and move forward.” One mentee told Dwight, that if it wasn’t for him and Alta Vista, he wouldn’t be going to college.

What’s Dwight’s reward? “I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I tell them my payment is you getting an education, and one day you can call me and say, ‘Hey Dwight, I’m doing all right.’”