Success Stories: Johan Mohamed-Yusof

At the Community Tool Box lots of residents come in to volunteer their time.  We would like to tell you about one of our volunteers, a young man named Johan Mohamed-Yusof.  Johan (who came from Malaysia) started attending the Adelanto Youth Leadership program (AYL) in 2002.

AYL is a program where youth of Adelanto can learn leadership skills by working together on different projects.  Some projects include community clean-ups, paint days and conferences. The youth find they have the energy and the leadership skills to make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. 

Johan participated in the Neighborhood Academy where he learned discussion, review and planning methods. Johan was asked to participate at the “One Year After 9/11” forum, where he joined a panel that included a police chief, two technology businessmen, and chairman of a county agency board. Johan eventually became President of  Adelanto Youth Leadership and took the leadership role in running successful meetings and events.

Johan had the opportunity to participate in “Swamp Gravy”  - a training that includes story telling circles and story gathering training. Johan was one of six youth selected to participate in a trip to Colquitt Georgia to observe a Swamp Gravy play.  From their training Johan and the other participants learned skills to gather stories of Adelanto from residents who have lived here for years.  The youth then created a play from the history they gathered, and presented it at a city council meeting to draw awareness of the need to bring a supermarket to Adelanto.  As a result of their efforts, a new Stater Bros. Market has been built in Adelanto!

Johan graduated from Silverado High School in June of 2002.  He started his college classes at Victorville Community College and completed his first two years there.  He also joined the track team and has completed several events.  He has now been accepted to the University of California Berkeley. 

Johan has been a role model for other youth who have participated in the Adelanto Youth Leadership program.  He now lives in Berkeley California where he is attending his first year at the University.  We are proud to have been a part of Johan’s success.  His is just one of many stories of youth whose lives have been enriched by our Adelanto Youth Leadership program.