I am happy to take this opportunity to update you on our Principles of Success Motivational Program (POS) as we undertake our tenth year of operations. Having retired as a partner from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP almost 23 years ago, I am proud to still be leading the POS program and touching the lives of young men of color. It is a blessing to be able to share my life experiences, including successes and challenges with our participants. Please understand that the quality and substance of our program is due, in large part, to the professional men who serve as facilitators and mentors. I am also blessed to have the opportunity to work with these outstanding men who are so critical to the success of our program.

As you may be aware, we conducted the POS program virtually for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are now in our second year of conducting our program sessions in person once again. While most of our monthly sessions are conducted on campus at USC, I would like to use this article to talk about our annual visit to Junior Achievement of Southern California.  Our visit to JA Finance Park gives each participant an opportunity to develop personal money management skills, acquire personal finance knowledge, and prepare for the financial decisions and challenges of their adult lives. Parents are asked to serve as volunteers doing this field trip to JA Finance Park. Real life simulations are conducted wherein each participant is assigned the role of an adult with a job, salary, one or more children, etc. During this simulation, participants are required to prepare a budget, pay income taxes, pay rent and other household expenses, and make decisions about spending when the budget will not accommodate all of the desired items.

Parent volunteers serve as advisors to the participants during the simulation. We believe this experience is beneficial to both the parent and participant since not all households operate on a budget and many of our young men are not involved in financial decisions required in running a household. They, therefore, may not understand why the answer may be “no” to a request they might make of a parent. The knowledge acquired by each participant during this fieldtrip is supplemented by follow-up discussions routinely conducted throughout the POS program year, which we hope will serve as a foundation upon which our young men can continue to build in the area of financial literacy.

I am taking this opportunity to share with you one other aspect of our POS program. We recite the following three points at the beginning of each monthly session. Our objective is to help each participant understand the power of their mind. To be successful, one must believe in oneself, commit to operate at level five, and follow the critical habits of successful people.
 

My name is Wayne Bragg, and I have volunteered as a facilitator, mentor and Board Member of Principles of Success Motivational Program (POS) since its inception in 2014.

Professionally, I spent my career with New York Life Insurance Company, where I retired as the Managing Partner of the Los Angeles General Office with over 200 agents under my direction. Having the opportunity to share my experiences and positively impact the lives of young men of color through the POS program has given me the greatest personal satisfaction of anything I have ever done.

We have succeeded in impacting the lives of more than 250 young Black men on their path to a productive and successful life. The path for too many of our youth is not assured of the opportunities that are available because of the discrimination that has existed in our country against people of color.

We celebrated the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington on August 28, 2023. I attended the original March on Washington in 1963, as a 16-year-old teenager just becoming aware of the political and economic realities of what it means to be of African American descent in the USA. It was a monumental day that galvanized people throughout the country, leading to The Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and a host of legislation designed to right the many wrongs that existed due to one form of discrimination or the other. I know that the young people of today are bombarded by a host of issues such as climate change, the Coronavirus pandemic, and a multitude of social media exposures that can be challenging to deal with while trying to make sure to get good grades in school that will lead to college and a bright future in various career paths.

It is because of the importance of keeping the opportunities open to all that I beseech the young men in the program to begin (if they haven't already) to engage in what is going on politically in our community and the importance that voting plays in assuring the quality of life for themselves. Having discussions with your parents, teachers, and people you respect and look up to is important. I encourage you to "LISTEN," so you can gain insights and form your own opinions on the society around you. One of the great luxuries that young people have today is access to immediate information via the internet. I know a lot of maturities occur in one's teenage years, both physical and mental, as well as social complexities encompassing learning to drive, dating, employment, etcetera. I would just like you to be aware of the political and civic aspects that will be an important part of your life and will also be helpful in your having a productive and successful life.

Newsletter subscribers, the success of our POS program is highly dependent on the support and involvement of the parents of our participants. As we strive to help them understand the power of their minds, it is the parents who have the opportunity to ensure that they develop good habits and practice the Principles of Success that we share during our various program sessions. If you have a teenager in your household, I encourage you to allow them to read this article since it represents one more opportunity for them to see that there are organizations and people in our world who are seeking an opportunity to help them become successful. Our POS Program operates on a totally voluntary basis and also pays a stipend to our participants which, I believe, demonstrates our commitment to our participants.

By Wayne Bragg, Facilitator and Mentor

POS Mentor and Mentees

Lunch and golf at Mountain Gate Country Club. Aiden Jenkins, Charlie Vasher with mentor Robert Taylor.