EAST POINT, Ga. — No stranger to giving back to others, Atlanta hip-hop icon, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and community leader T.I. went above and beyond for students in the Next Level Boys Academy on Monday evening.

The Next Level Boys Academy is an innovative mentoring organization for boys and young adult men ages 5 to 25. Next Level Boys Academy is also a diversion program that helps keep boys and young men focused on school and work.

T.I. met with Next Level Boys Academy students, took them on a shopping spree at DTLR in East Point, posed for pictures, offered them encouraging words of wisdom and congratulated them for their hard work and perseverance.

“The reason why this is so special to me is because I was once in a position where I looked myself in the mirror and wondered when I was going to put myself in a position where I wouldn’t have to be in and out of trouble,” he said. “This is another year that Next Level Academy has motivated a group of young men to challenge themselves to change.”

Gary L. Davis Sr., the founder and Executive Director of Next Level Empowerment Center Inc., has mentored more than 1,000 young men and families through various programs in the metro Atlanta community over the past 15 years.

“This is near and dear to TIPs heart because he’s been there,” Davis said. “TIP has been very gracious to us. This is not a situation where you have a rich guy in corporate America who just wants to give back to the underserved or the underdog. To give 50 young men a $200 spree is immeasurable because to some of them, this is their only Christmas. For him to come to do this, and speak afterwards and humanize himself, it lets them know it is possible for me as well.”

Atlanta native Kahlil Primous, 24, has been enrolled in Next Level Boys Academy for the last four years and says what he enjoys the most is the family atmosphere.

“Some of the things that I’ve learned from Coach Davis is accountability, being intentional, sacrifice and patience,” Primous said. “I’ve dealt with a lot of things this year including being shot. When I got shot, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wasn’t intentional about what could happen.”

Davis created the program because “it was needed.”

“I am someone who turned on the news everyday and see Black and Brown boys dying and going to jail. I knew it was something that I had to put into place, but it had to come from the heart,” he said. “I lead with love, and create opportunities because once we get this group that we work with in a position to see there is a different way, there are different results.”

Primous said he’s learned from his mistakes, learned to have better judgment and learned to be a better man from Davis and the mentors he looks up to. As a veteran in the program, it is important to step up as a leader and to help pave the way for the younger students.

“It’s extremely important to pave the way,” he said. “After meeting Coach Davis, we built a bond. It was easy for me to listen to him when he tells me how to handle certain situations. That’s what this younger generation needs, someone who is there to listen to them and to relate to them.”

Tyriq Banks, 23, says he has been enrolled in the Next Level Boys Academy for a year and he loves being in the program.

“I love how real it is,” he said. “I’ve learned accountability, confidence, and how to walk away from conflicts from Coach Davis. Before I got into the program, I didn’t really have confidence to do what I thought I could do. I’ve gained a lot of confidence. I love sports, baseball. My best friend Lawrence Butler plays for the Oakland A’s. There are people in the program who really need new shoes. When I caught my case, I didn’t even want Coach Davis to know about it. We had a conversation about it and he made me feel more comfortable being in the program.”

The organization features a preventative program for a group of young men between the ages of 5-10 who are in elementary school. Davis and the Next Level Boys Academy staff put positive men in their lives, provides mentorship and guidance to them. Davis said the most innovative program at Next Level Boys Academy is the diversion program, alternative incarceration. The program diverts about 100 years of prison time per week.

“This year, we have mentored well over 200 young men. There is a lot of peer mentorship as well,” Davis said. “Most young men like to be a part of a team. That’s why I identify myself as a coach. They spent the past two hours witnessing that someone cares about them.”

“This is not a place for you if you don’t want to change,” Primous said. “We have open doors, but you have to be ready to change how you feel, how you think or how you move. You have to have accountability. It starts within yourself.”

Davis encourages the families of the students to be involved in the program and events like these.

Demonica Banks, the mother of Elijah Bruce and Amourion Bruce, said programs like Next Level Boys Academy are needed and Davis is a staple in the community.

“It is super amazing to see the give back event every year,” Banks said. “I love the giveback, I love the positivity, I love the energy with the organizations combining together.

Banks said watching T.I. give back for the past five years has been motivating to the students.

“To see someone who came from where they’re from, and do better with their lives is great. Sometimes, they need to actually see that role model,” she said. “I thank him for coming and giving back. He comes back and he is personable. He is hands-on with these kids. Coach Davis is super attentive to the kids and their needs. I became a better mom because of Gary. Black leadership is very important. It is important that they see someone who looks like them in the places they’re in.”

Elijah Bruce, a sophomore at Forest Valley State says he was encouraged to join the program by his mother and brother around 2016.

“What I love about this program is being given another opportunity,” he said. “Actions over words is what my family always tells me. What T.I. is doing is amazing. Words don’t explain it. Keep going, don’t quit.”

“I want to congratulate you all and let you know that I’m proud of you that you have put yourself on the right track,” T.I. said. “Don’t wait on nobody else to put you on the right track, you’re doing it for yourself. That’s one of the most important things for you to be proud of. I’m happy to be a part of the journey and I know that you’re going to go farther than you can even imagine. Keep on challenging yourself to change. Everyday that you wake up, you’re going to have a chance and a choice. Continue to challenge yourself, continue to stay motivated and encouraged.”

As T.I. walked out of DTLR, his 2003 hit “I Can’t Quit” blared over the store speakers, reminding the students of his message. Keep going, and you can’t quit no matter what.

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