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by The_Bliss_Report from Metro Detroit

Last Post 42 days, 11 hours Ago


FORMER DETROIT DROP-OUT DEVOTES LIFE TO EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE
Oct 15, 2008 | 11:58 AM
Category: News
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As a child in Detroit in the 1960s, Errol Jones quit school and jumped on a fast track to trouble.  Fortunately, his grandfather intervened and sent him to boarding school.  But — still seduced by the streets — he dropped out three times before finally earning his diploma.

“I look at my life as a miracle,” says Jones, a PhD candidate and CEO of The Errol Jones Group.  “And my life has come full circle.  That inspires me to help create miracles for others.” 

And so, as an educator and entrepreneur, the 50-year-old, married father of two grown sons is on a mission to save young people from the perils of dropping-out, becoming delinquent, and believing the hype of thug life that’s glamorized in the mesmerizing bling of music and videos. 

“A lot of folks don’t survive the kinds of things I went through," says Jones, an alternative school teacher whose father died when he was 10.  "As an African American, I look at the experiences and benefits I’ve had and I see that it’s time to give back to my community.”

Jones is embarking on this mission armed with an MBA in eBusiness, earned last year, that he's using to create Internet-based programs that teach entrepreneurial skills to young people.  He has a master’s degree in Education Curriculum and Instruction in 1987, bolstered by a bachelor’s degree in Ministerial Studies in 1982 — both from Loma Linda University in California.  Jones channels his gratitude for getting off the fast track to trouble — into helping young people, especially African American youth.

“I’m concerned about what I see in our community.  I see a lot of young African American males in particular, and people reciting what I call ‘the black facts:’  prison population numbers, drop out rates, low economic achievement, limited representation in college, and the list goes on.”

Jones says too many people use “the black facts” to endorse a sense of hopelessness for black youth.  He’s on a mission to change that by starting a variety of programs that teach young people how to build businesses, earn money and become leaders.   With internet marketing and word of mouth promotions, Jones believes he can help young people find their daily bliss in education and entrepreneurship.

“I’m coming along with a solution!”
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The_Bliss_Report

Tired of bad news? Send me a good news story and I'll publish it in The Bliss Report. I’m a former Fox 2 news writer and a bestselling author. A Michigan native and downtown Detroiter, I’m an exercise and healthy eating enthusiast—after celebrating a 100-pound weight loss on Oprah! As an expert on interracial families and biracial people, I was a guest on Montel with my first book, White Chocolate.

Member Since: 4/17/2008


 

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