Usable Knowledge Moving from Dreams to Action Recorded live, our "Walking the Talk" conversation with NFL player C.J. Anderson, whose nonprofit gives kids from his hometown the tools for career success Posted January 25, 2018 By Iman Rastegari and Leah Shafer For children to grow up and achieve their dreams — or identify interests and formulate dreams in the first place — they need to see what their aspirations might look like in practice. They need exposure to career pathways, continual mentorship, and a sense of belonging and inspiration. Too many children lack those building blocks, says C.J. Anderson, a running back for the Denver Broncos and founder of the Dreams Never Die Foundation, a nonprofit based in Anderson's hometown of Vallejo, CA. The foundation's first project is to build a recreational and college-prep center in town, with the spaces, mentorship, and programming that children need to turn dreams into achieveable goals.In the third episode of Walking the Talk, Anderson joins host Domonic Rollins for a conversation exploring the resources and supports that low-income, inner-city youth need to become the next startup CEO, award-winning videographer, or pro athlete. Walking the Talk is a series of video conversations streamed live on Facebook, exploring challenging questions of diversity, inclusion, and identity as they are lived and expressed in the real world. See the first and second installments in the series. Watch Rollins and Anderson's live conversation, and read our takeaways below. Mentoring Low-Income YouthFocus on students' assets, rather than their deficits — what they can do, what they know, and what they have to support them.Provide youth with a safe space to do their homework and to develop their passions and interests.Create a relationship with children that's based on mutual respect and understanding, not one of power or control.Invite professionals to come speak to youth about their careers, and bring children to those places of work so they can visualize the job of a video game programmer or a podcast host.Encourage students to do the hard work necessary for success. Additional Resources Walking the Talk, Episode 1: For White Students, How to Talk about Race Walking the Talk, Episode 2: Educating Black Boys Usable Knowledge Connecting education research to practice — with timely insights for educators, families, and communities Explore All Articles Related Articles Usable Knowledge For White Students, How to Talk about Race Usable Knowledge How to Spread Equity Usable Knowledge Allying with Undocumented Students