ABSTRACT
Mentoring programs always need money. A company approached our Young Men's Leadership Program about sponsoring some students to go through a mentoring program. The catch was that the organization was part of the medical marijuana industry. While appreciating the civic gesture, people knew that the young men, people were working with did not need any more exposure to or encouragement to use marijuana. Cognitive science has shown that young people have a brain that is not wired for adolescence that people provide for them. As teenagers, young people are pushed out of bed hours before they are at their best, they are bussed to high schools that often fail to challenge or engage their brain, they are surrounded by peers who can be a bad influence on their thinking, and they are kept as busy enough so that they lack the sleep they need. Programs such as restorative justice have also helped youth move from risky behavior to smarter choices.
