makai williams is 15 and a freshman at suitland high school, and he's now in the mentoring to manhood program. welcome all of you. >> thank you. >> makai, let me ask you -- how do you like it? >> i love the program. >> you've been in about six months or so? >> no -- >> sorry -- >> five years -- >> i got the timing -- what has it done for you in the years you've been there? you sort of grown up in it. >> yes. it's slowly turning me into a man literally. i grew up in it so i've been physically turning into a man. also mentally. so yeah. i like going there. >> you were going to grow up anyway, but you have extra help as you're growing up. >> yeah. >> deion, you work with middle and high school youngsters. tell us what makes mentoring 2 manhood so successful. >> just our ability to match like what we have here, a young man with another older man, and mentoring is so walk all of us through stages in life like we talk the about. so you know, i think that's what makes mentoring 2 man so successful is it just works. >> and you not only hold mentoring classes but on saturday, but you do a whole lot with these young men. >> we'll go on fieldtrips. we've done college tours flag. we've gone to museums in d.c. we've taken them to study entrepreneurship. we'll take them to see local companies and businesses and see entrepreneurs started their company and progressed through the stages of development for their company. we just really try to give the boys a well-rounded amount of information, just so they can begin to make their own decisions and walk the path that they're deficstineto walk. >> they're getting a lot of expe brandon, you've been a mentor for how long? >> since august, 2016. >> that's where i got it -- six months. you were actually mixing mentoring, education, training, and church. tell us how that works. >> actually, it's quite simple. you know, in terms of mentoring it, you know, for me, i grew when i was in college. i started tutoring. so that's where i started the education part. i was tutoring inner city youth at the university of pittsburgh. that's where the educational part came from. as i started that, kids started asking me questions, more personal level. that's where i started getting the tutoring from. and bringing that to this program, you know, meeting up with every saturday, we'll sit there and -- me and makai will talk about school. we'll go to a football game and have fun. and then we'll go to the training program -- plus, i think tomorrow going on a training program in ft. there's allh combined. it's great. >> you said makai is your m mentee. >> makai is my mentee. i've been assigned to him since day one. >> makai, what are some of most interesting things you've done? >> well, like the field trips or regarding with brandon -- >> yeah. both. >> oh. well well, we've goo movies, bowling, workshops and different activities like that. >> do you look forward to it every saturday? >> yes. >> and you look forward to getting together with your mentor? do you look forward to being with the other boys -- >> my friends and my mentor. >> uh-huh. uh-huh. and you said it's sort of helping you to become a man. i mean, what are some of the things that you deal with that this group is helping you with? >> well, starters, homework. >> you humid a big one. >> yes. hmm. >> what do you -- what do you like about school which classes are you most interested in? wl what do you want t do? >> science. i like biology. >> that's a great place to be. all righty. we're talking to mentoring 2 manhood. we'll continue after this ba y27mky y16fy we're talking with mentoring 2 manhood. your young men are from 12 and 19 whampth a 1 oe ms' rn is to help them earn data cabling certification? >> yes, we're really excited about this program because not all of the boys that come out of high school will go to college. we sensed the need to begin to offer opportunities to enter the work force with marketable skills. one of our mentors, his name is richard nighti cabling company decided that he wanted to offer this certification for young men and young women that would be interested in this certification. so for six weeks, they'll meet consecutive saturdays. and at the end of the six-week certification program, they'll have a certificate with the electricians/technicians association. that wi allow them to then be marketable to comcast or at&t or verizon. they'll also get an osha safety card. so coming out of this six-week program, they are marketable. they can actually, you know, get a job that would benefit them in the long run. we just are excited about the program. we feel like this is going to be a stepping ste, first of many certification programs that we can offer our young men. >> in terms of measuring success, you had -- you just started the classes. how many young men have gotten jobs already -- >> right. we had six that went throu t program. they all graduat a a they all got their certificates. they passed their certificate exam. they also passed their osha safety. they got their osha safety card. and then four of the six are working now. >> already? >> alreadiy. >> that's fantastic. brand a, rin-eral kffm emoynt rates, incarceration rates, poverty rates. mentoring can't fix all those programs. it's just one piece of it. >> uh-huh. like you said, the black community suffering from high incarceration rates. the black community suffers from positive role models. lack of male role models. and we at mentoring 2 manhood, you -- they don't have positive role models, they don't have the visualization to try to get to how do they guide to adulthood, get to adulthood. >> many fathers are not in the home. >> a huge d. hood comes in. we help fill the gap and visualize how to be an adult, how to be a man. how to -- to inspire, how to go to school, how to where a student tie like ma tie, how to get a -- makai, how to get certification. they can see with myself and deion, they see strong, black men getting to be positive. they don't get that. >> and it does make a difference for them, doesn't it? >> i think so. i really think so. without vision, without being able to see an example of what it means to get up every morning and go to your job, without seeing, that you don't knoh to accoli i but when we model it for our young men, it just opens up a realm of possibility that they wouldn't necessarily have. >> uh-huh. makai, so -- what do you want to do when you get out of school and when you get out of this group? >> i like engineering, but i also like producing music. so i would -- something in that field. >> when y you pick role models, who were your role models? who do you look to and say, i want to be like him? professional basketball players -- >> yeah, michael jordan. >> okay, okay. probably -- michael jordan and lebron james. these two. and -- >> thank you. >> yeah. >> thank you. >> it's making a big difference in your life. but you've got a long way to go. what kind of advice would you give to other young men your age who are struggling, you know, with peer pressure and all of the social media and all of the other stimuli around them? what would you say to them to help them stay on track and be focuse focused? s >> what about your own commitment? what do you have to -- how do you have to think yourself -- think -- >> i just think of my mom being right there. what she would say if i think of a bad decision. anything like that. >> uh-huh. that's the best accountability. you think of someone that you have to answer to. >> yes. >> you don't want to let her down. no. >> no. >> okay. we know you're not going to let her down. you're going to stay in this group, and you're going to do well. someday you'll be better than lebron james. >> maybe. >> all right. dion johnson, brandon cole, and makai, thank you all. you were in the philanthropic category of philanthropy for 2016. so you're doing -- you're doing great work. >> yes. thank you very much. >> keep it up. >> i will. >> thank you. >> thank you. when we come back, we're going to be talking to a group that's helping boys and girls fight belowing and build -- building hope, inc., is an organization that helps displaced families move from displacement to independence. every year, the group sponsors a special pageant called princess for a day. more than 150 girls with escorts get to walk the red carpet. it's part of a comprehensive program and an exciting journey toward building their self-esteem. joining us are eric hawkins, who's a board member at building hope, inc. carrssa williams is founder and executive director. alexis fletchman is a princess for a day participant. she's 14 years old. and she's wearing her tiara this morning. welcome, all of you. >> thank you. >> caressa, you cater to children and teenagers. tell us about what you're teaching them and how you're doing it. >> well, the purpose of the princess for a day, it's an empowerment program, it's to let beautifully and wonderfully made. we take on ages from 3 to 16, and i tend to believe that if you continue to tell someone you're wonderful, you continue to tell them that you're beautiful, you embody that and believe that. we hopefully and believe that when they get into their teen years and after their long -- after they're out of prinss for day tt empowerment is with them, they know that i can do and be anything. they told me i'm beautiful. so it's just part of them knowing and being confident in who they are. >> the pageant that happens every year includes children and teenagers. >> yes. >> what are the stages>> the age range from 3 to age 16. >> the girls do get all dressed up and walk the red carpet? >> oh, with the boys. >> their escorts? >> yes, you have to see. they go all out. i mean, they are just beautiful, and they go all out and really look absolutely amazing. >> and you can see them there in the pictures. what do youdo >> well, we have -- >> the pageant -- >> we have four rehearsals. we start rehearsing as early as october. we start remgsterring them and start rehearsing with them. with the princess for a day, we have the pageant, local pageant winners, miss marilyn, miss d.c., and -- miss maryland, miss d.c., and virginia counterparts. they end to as well and teach pesticid poe etiquette. we break them out into workshops to show them challenges they may be facing during school. we prepare them with the four rehearsals and do the side workshops, as well, leading up to march 4th. >> i mentioned that your program at building hope, irc rk, inc., comprehensive. the pageant is one piece of a really big pie. you're doing a lot of other activities and some of the workshops that you participate in in the summer are exciting. >> exactly. i have to give credit to mid williams. her energy is unbelievable. g summer project like the basketball camp. i've known her for eight years. we've partnered for a good eight years. i was in corporate america, but i left that. and i found something more fulfilling -- helping the kids. for example, i was fortunate enough to know michael graham, former georgetown basketball player, who in turn called his buddies, nba players like fred brown and david wingate, michael smith, with their cousin who was a trainer at university of maryland men's basketball basketball. we're doing basketball summer program for the kids. one thing they said to me, they said, we're going to do this, we want to make sure we get a chance to emphasize the importance of education. and i said, mike, that is mis a vision and what we'll do. not only did the boys and girls have a great time exercising and learning the fundamentals, there was an emphasis. and fred brown gave a great speech on the importance of education. and also the tennis programs. i'm proud to at least be part of that. every year. i just can't say enough. i'm glad to be part of building hope. >> that's exciting. alexis, you have participated in the princess for a day pageant for two years now. >> yes. >> so tell us what that experience has been like for you. >> it was very fun. i liked going places with the kids and they're friendly and -- i'm just very excited. i'm happy. i can't wait until march. >> now you're 14 years old. where do you go to school? >> i go to school at walker mill middle school. >> you sound like you like school. i hear you have a 4.0 grade average. >> yes. >> 4.1 -- >> excuse me. 4.1. that would be an a-plus. what have you learned and what have you gotten out of participating in this pageant for the past two years? >> i learned that you're never too young. you can do your thing, believe in yourself, have self-esteem. it's >> was that a problem for you before you joined thepansion p? >> really, but some people say things about me. but i never let them bring me down. >> and one of the components of the program is to teach you all to resist bullying. not to participate and to resist -- how to handle it really. >> yes. >> yeah. okay. we'll take a break. we'll continue our talk with building hope and tell you more about the princess for a day pageant after this. . welcome back. caressa williams, you're working with displaced families and single mothers who are struggling to make ends meet and sort of burst it a-- and sort ot it all together. your programs help comprehensively from housing to getting kids ready for school. tell us more about that. >> the core of the program started with housing. we received calls from either social services, child protective services, or organizations. we process that family, and when we have available housing, we bring that mom in. and our goal is to tax cut through some of the red tape. if they've been a victim of domestic violence or are displaced, the last thing they need is to just go through a lot of cumbersome paperwork. we cut through the red tape. we find affordable housing, suitable housing so children don't have to be disrupted from their school zone. we contact furniture partners which will provide full entire furniture for the entire house, that's the property of the moms. then we work with the children to expose them to all of the outreach that is in our organization because we want to -- we have to stabilize the mom. then once we stabilize the mom, we get rid of that burden. she doesn't have to worry. so we get them in all of the outreach programs that building hope offers to the community -- >> even school supplies, back-to-school supplies? >> we do we want to make sure we always have it the third saturday in august. if they're going to prince george's county, they always start the fourth monday. so we always want to make sure that we have it prior to the school, that they get their supply list and purchase everything, and they have it ready for the first day. >> the annual projects, tell us about those. you've got the christmas drive -- >> the drive, exactly. and the back-to-school drive. the drive, i love doing that. my wife and i took walmart and toys 'r' us in clinton, maryland. we manned that location. saying with our christmas tree drive, each kid gets through gifts. three gifts. this year i believe we did, what, took care of at least 400 to 500 kids? >> a little over 400. gifts of their choosing. >> the look on the kids' faces when they get the gifts and kids who might not have otherwise had the chance is amazing. >> alexis, i think of mentoring program, since we're talking about mentoring, thinking of girls need mentoring. would you say, that and why would you say girls really need that extra support? some of your friends, for example? >> well, i believe that girls need mentoring because sometimes we go down the wrong path. we just need to go god's way no matter what. no matter what anyone says, you know, we've got to take that route. >> there's a lot of pressure, isn't there, with you're in school and have got friends with -- and you have social media to deal with. >> yeah. so it's a lot. the pressure at school is crazy because some kids want you doing this or that. you know what you're supposed to be doing, but it's hard to ignore when they're in your ear or -- they keep saying it and you said let me try it. that's not the right path to go down. the social med thing, i've -- i found that -- find that depressing because a lot of crazy things happen on social media. i think that's like a little crazy. >> i know you have a li you're going to be taking part in the pageant which comes up on march 4th? >> yes, saturday, march 4th. we'll be there, starts at 12:00 noon. they'll arrive around 11:00. and they get to experience the red carpet even in the lobby of the event. >> is it too late to get in? >> no, we have more spaces left. when people hear this or see it, we always try to add -- we did add ten spaces so it's not too late to register to participate. >> and the cost is -- >> the cost is $50 which covers everything for them in the pageant. >> all right. thank you for the great work you're i -- >> thank you very mh. ' p of you. >> thank you. >> keep up that 4.1. all right. >> all right. >> you will find a link to both organization, open the nbcwashington. i can't and click on mentoring. that's your sunday "viewpoint." stay with us. "news4 today" is next. immigration crackdown. right now on "news 4 today," protests from dulles international to airports coast to coast. >> we're going to have a very, very strict ban, and we're going to have extreme vetting. >> we are a great country. that's not who we are. >> travelers left in limbo, and more than a hundred detained. the tense moment as protesters and immigrants make their voices clear. >> america is a country for all. >> travelers detained, a country divided. protests at airports from dulles to l.a.x. with hundreds