A Good Mentor Inspires You, Stretches You, Connects You, And Opens Your Mind To New Things― Williamson Sintyl

Williamson Sintyl is all about the community. He is the CEO and Founder of ARISE Project for Humanity; a non-profit organization aims to empower the next generation of Haitian youth through mentorship. Williamson believes there is always hope even when hope seems as it does not exist. His devotion to helping others, in believing in themselves and that they can be more and do more, come from personal experiences. In this article, Williamson highlights the goals and purpose of his organization, ARISE Project for Humanity.  

What inspired you to start ARISE Project for Humanity?

The earthquake had changed my whole perspective on life. Why was I the only one from my school who left early and survived? Why was I one of the only ones from the orphanage who survived? Why did God spare my life? What was my calling in life that I needed to fulfill? How was I going to keep the promise I made to God when I told Him I would serve Him if He saved my life?

When I return to the U.S. from my mission trip, I saw so many opportunities. I knew I had to do something for my country. I started a non-profit called ARISE Project for Humanity. I want to empower new generations, especially in Haiti, to believe that, despite the tough times, there is always hope and that we can create what we need to be successful. My dream is to see Haiti become an example standing on its own to prove that we can all make a difference. We all have something to do, something to give, and something to create.

Why do you believe mentoring can help the youth in Haiti?

We see mentorship as a competitive advantage, a great way to accelerate the development of future leaders in Haiti and other countries.  The importance of mentors cannot be overstated. A good mentor inspires you, stretches you, connects you, and opens your mind to new things. Mentoring provides a safe space to learn, experiment, ask questions — any questions, regardless of how seemingly stupid they may be — and offers a vital sounding board. In the corporate world, mentoring increases knowledge retention and individual’s engagement. I personally have a mentor, and I would never be where I’m at today if I didn’t have someone to show me the way and help me to see greatness within me that I couldn’t see on my own.

How do you choose/select the mentors and mentees as well as the locations of services?

Our Mentoring Program is designed to help young people discover their true PURPOSE.

In doing so, we tackle various areas our teens struggle with on a daily basis:

All activities, lessons, discussions, and challenges are designed to inspire, motivate, and push our students toward a PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE. Young people engage with mentors and other young people their age in a positive environment. They are surrounded by mentors that genuinely care. We have Haitians mentoring Haitians so that the power can come within its own country. 

How have your career and personal experience prepared you to lead your organization?

From a young age, I knew I wanted to do humanitarian work in my own country. I grew up seeing my mom and dad doing all they could in their own communities with the limited resources they had.  On my LDS mission, I also learned how to lead other young adults and do it in an efficient and Christ-like way. 

Where do you see ARISE in the next five years?

Because we want to see a Haiti where young people are stepping up to be the leaders that Haiti needs tomorrow. We want so badly for them to know that they are magnificent, capable, and enough.

Through the mentoring program, we hope to inspire the youth to change their mindsets ―of even a few of them― so that they can believe these things and then go and improve their community. From then on, we will have success. 

In five years, we would love to have our mentoring center up and running, and thousands of youth participated in our program. Through the center, we want to provide young people with other educational opportunities as well.  The possibilities are endless if we keep growing at the same rate.

What are some of the developments at ARISE?

Our mentoring program is progressing in Haiti. We’re now building our first Mentoring Center in Haiti. A place for these youth to learn the principles that will help change their mindset, create their life, and impact their community. We are so grateful for all our families and friends who have done so much for us and how they have been assisting in making the program a reality. We see hearts and lives changing, and we couldn’t be happier!

What is/was your biggest challenge thus far?

Finding people who really see the benefits of mentoring and not expecting that we are handing out money or food. Finding land for the mentoring center has been difficult as well. 

Have you personally benefited from a mentoring program?

When I moved to the U.S., I had a few bosses/friends who took the time to show me how things worked here in the U.S. and taught me the skills to make money. They also taught me how to change my mindset, believe in myself, and be successful in my efforts. I benefited so much from their teachings, and I was able to change my life because I applied those principles in my life.

What message would you leave our readers with today?

What we are doing is also a preventative measure that can stop Child Trafficking, Abuse, Child Labor, and more. When children are being educated, when they have structures in their lives, they are less likely to be taken by bad guys. It is that kind of infrastructure that protects children. It is a huge deal to us that our Mentors in Haiti value this work and sacrifice their time to help mentor youth in their own community so that we can build the kind of Haiti we all want to see tomorrow. Our work directly supports our efforts to build nations and keep children safe.

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What are the best three words you would use to describe your organization?

CHANGE – CREATE – IMPACT

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