'Alternate Route' mentoring group helping young people find the road to success

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mentorship has been listed as one of the most effective ways to provide positive change in a young person's life. Recently, two Louisville men decided they wanted to help young men find the right path away from crime and violence by providing them with an "Alternate Route."

That's the name of the youth mentorship program for teens 13 and up that meets Saturdays at By Any Means Fitness studio on Mellwood Avenue.

DeVone Holt, vice president of external affairs for Goodwill Kentucky, and Djuan Means, owner of By Any Means Fitness, stopped by WDRB Mornings on Monday to talk about why it's important for young people to have someone to look up to, and why they want to be involved.

"I've been doing so much in my life, and being able to have a voice and be able to speak to the community, I wanted to have a way to speak to the youth," Means said. "You hear a lot of what's going on — social media and things that are happening with these young folks — and with me going through things, I've had mentors in my life that kind of put me on the right road. So that's why it's called 'Alternate Route.' You might have some delays or bumps in the road, but we are going to get you on the right track and lead you to the road to success."

Holt said young people cannot be what they cannot see.

"We know that people can't do better if they don't know better," Holt said. "And so much of what we are attempting to do is help young people be exposed to something more than what they see every day. We want to give them examples and road maps about what's possible beyond what they see on social media and their own respective networks. So this is really just about exposing them to new realities, new opportunities and setting new standards for them so that they can find the greatness that exists within them."

Holt and Means both encourage single moms to send their sons to the program.

"I understand it's tough for single mothers sometimes raising young men, and I've had uncles, I've had people in my life that mentored me whether they knew it or not," Means said. "And I just want to be that for those young men as well, give them a voice and an ear to hear what they're going through.

"We've had so much outreach since we launched this and we decided to do it so there wasn't a lot of structure initially when we built it," Holt said. "But that structure is coming along, and we're building that and encouraging people to connect with Djuan Means on social media, and DeVone Holt on social media, and soon will be able to connect with us online at Alternate Route on social media as well.

The free mentor program's first meeting was on Saturday, Sept. 16. Classes are scheduled every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at By Any Means Fitness. The studio is located at 1860 Mellwood Ave., Room #227, in Building A.