Meet Kevin Benoit

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kevin Benoit a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

When I was a child, I was bullied pretty persistently in school. It was actually pretty brutal. I was always one of the smaller students. I started wearing glasses around 4th grade, but before that I couldn’t see so I was always squinting and to make out as much as I could. I was also a child of Haitian immigrant parents who believed in uniforms, even though I could count on one hand how many students in our school followed the school’s “uniform policy.” And had a slight resemblance to Bugs Bunny, since I had to grow into my teeth, and the gap between my two front teeth was noticeable from across the room. That said, I called “buck tooth,” a “Haitian booty scratcher,” and was mercilessly serenaded with the “rejects” song. Kids can be cruel!

By the time I was in 8th grade and getting ready to leave middle school, I was constantly getting in fights, finally sticking up for myself. Didn’t know it then but mental health was not in a great place since no one in my family knew what I was dealing with and my parents were so busy with work that they didn’t really help with positive reinforcement or anything like that. So it was a dark time in hindsight.

But then, one day, and I honestly can’t think of what caused the change for me, I decided that things needed to change, especially before I went to high school. The bullying had to stop! And I needed to drive that change.

So, I decided I was going to invest in my own confidence and self-esteem. And I did that by making a conscious decision to tell myself how good I looked… every time I saw myself in a mirror. In the house, walking by a car and seeing my reflection in the window, store front reflections, literally any chance I could get to uplift myself with positive words, I did!

I’ve told this story to a few people before and they always give me a look like they don’t believe me. Or they say, “that’s it?”
Honestly, yes. That was it.

It wasn’t an overnight process. When I first was saying it, I didn’t even truly believe it. But with time, it became easier to believe and by the time I started high school, it was like I was telling myself something I already knew. Like, yeah, I know!

I was a 12 year old boy I didn’t have too many years I needed to make up for, but I can only imagine where I would be without that work.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Empowering the urban community has been a goal for Kevin Benoit for over 20 years. As a freshman in college, in May of 2004, Benoit created Parlé Magazine, an entertainment magazine spotlighting entertainment and featuring celebrity interviews, but also mindful to keep literacy and the written word at the forefront. The publication was created to empower, entertain, educate, motivate, and engage Black and Brown lives within the media industry. Black-owned and Black-led, the publication prioritizes BIPOC voices and stories. The magazine continues to this day, having celebrated our 20th anniversary in May 2024.

A first generation Haitian American, Kevin graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Legal Studies. He also has a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus in media management.

Over the years, in addition to doing Parle, he has worked at several nonprofit organizations in a variety of roles, all in New York City. Most recently he worked as an administrator at a charter high school in Brooklyn in the role of College and Career Readiness Manager, developing internship partnerships for high school students and spearheading all aspects of transitioning into senior year and making post-secondary plans.

In 2022, he founded Parlé Endeavors, Inc. a New York based 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to empower young adults and support youth development through mentorship, scholarships, grants, exposure, and experience. As executive director of the organization, he continues his work with young people, providing mentorship and financial support to youth who remind him of himself and have similar goals. Our tentpole event is our annual Teen Poetry Slam Series, which takes place in the summer with teens from around the city participating for an opportunity to win up to $1000 in cash. In two years we have given out $15,000 in scholarships and grants to high school students, plus an additional $5000 in cash prizes at our teen poetry slams.

In just the first year of programming we were awarded with the Beyoncé BeyGood Foundation Small Business Grant for $10,000 back in July 2023.

We’re currently planning our first Teen Power Weekend for December 2024. Teen Power Weekend is a transformative 3-day mini-conference to empower high school and college students across the Tri-state area. Highlights will include informative panels, workshops, a career fair, networking, entertainment, and more, with a purpose of preparing our youth for post-secondary success by providing valuable resources, networking opportunities, and a platform to showcase their talents.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Patience has been the biggest skill and quality for me. I don’t think you make it to 20 years of doing anything without a high level of patience and the understanding that there will be good days, bad days, good years, very bad years, but ultimately it all works out in the end if you are patient enough to allow the process to complete itself. Think that can really be said about most things in life, but particularly in business.

The ability to pivot, but not overwhelm. Entrepreneurs can find themselves doing too much, because there’s always a new idea, and a passion within a passion, but I try to to find that balance without hurting overall productivity. Its not always easy.

I think an overall passion for writing/media/journalism/working with youth also sustained me. I’ve been doing most of this work since I was 17 years old. Before I knew where the money was going to come from, I knew that I loved these things and could do them for years to come whether they were profitable or not. That’s extremely important. You can go years in business without making a profit. So that love has to be there.

Advice:
1. Get a mentor. Find someone who is gracious with sharing their knowledge. I understand people know their worth, but if they want to charge you to learn more, they are probably not the right person for you, especially when you are first starting out.
2. Write out a plan and act on it. Don’t wait, you’re just going to talk yourself out of it.
3. Don’t be scared to fail. You will. You will make mistakes, you will have regrets. Just don’t do anything illegal and you will be fine, even with the mistakes and regrets. But if you have that mentor, you can minimize a lot of those mistakes and maybe hold off on the major losses.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Parle Endeavors invites individuals with diverse expertise and backgrounds to join our esteemed board. This volunteer role offers an exceptional chance to significantly impact the lives of young adults through mentorship, scholarships, grants, exposure, and hands-on experience.

We are seeking individuals with expertise in the following areas:
Web Development Specialist: Enhance and maintain our website, ensuring it is up-to-date with comprehensive information about upcoming events and resources.
Event Management Coordinator: Engage in organizing and executing in-person events, such as poetry competitions and borough-wide activities. Your role will include interacting with attendees, managing live broadcasts, and capturing memorable moments.
Graphic Design Professional: Create visually compelling posters, QR codes, thumbnails, profile pictures, and other artistic materials that reflect our organization’s creativity and mission.
Social Media Strategist: Your responsibilities will include crafting engaging posts, announcing significant events, and maintaining an online presence on platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
Content Writer & Editor: Edit articles, craft engaging content for our company’s profile, and produce a script for fundraising efforts and event descriptions.
Marketing Analyst: Develop strategies to enhance our visibility, collaborate with designers, social media managers, and editors to address any gaps in our marketing approach.

Why Join Our Board?
Gain valuable work experience and build your professional skills.
Explore potential opportunities for a paid summer position within our organization.
Immerse yourself in a field relevant to your area of interest through hands-on involvement.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Parle Endeavors

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