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The Akkeri Podcast - Episode #7
August 21st, 2024
Mentoring and Managing Emotions with Jason Walsh

As a police officer and former child and youth care worker, Jason Walsh has seen the challenges that young men face through several different lenses. Growing up in a lower-income family with a single mother and a father who was often in jail, his own story is one of hardship and making his way through “by the power and grace” of his mother.

In our conversation, Jason shares how finding a male mentor at a young age changed his life and how there is a great need for this type of supportive relationship. Why? Because young men are growing up without learning how to cope with strong emotions or how to navigate tough situations and, without support, this leads many men to addictions or criminal activity.

Asking for help - or being that source of help, ourselves - is no small task. Both require the courage to be vulnerable because we risk rejection or shame whenever we put ourselves out there like that, but the potential rewards far outweigh the risks because who cares about a few moments of discomfort when we have the ability to change life for the better?

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