Francis Yengistic 

To tell the truth, there are so many kids that are adopted to this country in United States from Eastern Europe. They cry all the time. I connect with them because I know how it is. I know how refugee life is. I've been there, I've been in their tent. I know how desperate they feel. Some of my students cannot come to school because their parents back home need help, they need some money to get just a single meal. When you have the hope, you're gonna make it through. I tell my students, wake up in the morning and look at the mirror and say, I look great, I'm strong, and I can make it to the next level.

Paul Meunier 

Hello, I'm Paul Meunier, the executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association. And I'm a youth worker at heart. How lucky am I, I have the privilege to meet youth workers from around the globe and learn their stories and share them with the entire world. I'm glad you're listening because together we'll learn how their life experiences shape their youth work. As you listen, I encourage you to consider how your experiences shape what you have to offer young people. Welcome to this edition of The Passionate Youth Worker. Hi, everybody, for this episode, we're joined by Francis Yengestic from Minnesota here in the United States. Francis is a career counselor with the Hubert H Humphrey Job Corps, where he supports young people on their journey into the working world. He likes to tell his story. And unlike a lot of our guests on The Passionate Youth Worker, he's told it many times. We are delighted to have him as a guest. Francis, thanks for joining us.

Francis Yengistic 

Thank you, sir. Thank you for inviting me for this moment. I really feel honored to be here to share my story with the rest of the people in the world.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, I'm eager to learn more and to share your story with everybody. And I can see why you tell your story. Quite honestly, Francis, it's pretty fascinating. In fact, it starts at a very early age in kind of a dramatic sort of way. Let's start talking about your auntie. Will you talk about her and what she did to literally help you survive?

Francis Yengistic 

Yeah, again, I'm from East Africa. Born in central Uganda, which is Kampala area. Back in the 70s. I was raised by my grandma. It's not my aunt, but my aunt was also there. I was taken in by my grandma when I was very young. She did a great job because she has to breastfeed me. And I was taken to the farm where we, you know, we raise animals and goats and my grandpa and my grandma managed to bring me to the world that I'm here in today. It was not easy back then. You know, it's during the 70s and things are tough whether in Uganda or within East Africa. But with the power of my grandma, she empowered me to be who I am. I managed to do all that I have to do in East Africa. I continue going to school, whether I'm going barefooted, hungry, eating one meal or nothing. But I stick into my goals that I will not let my grandma down and the only word my grandma will tell me is you can do it. Don't wait for somebody to tell you you cannot do the ABCD. You are great. You will make it through. Yes, with that power today I am here, I'm in Minnesota. I managed to do what I have to do. I'm working with young people from Burma, from all over the world. East Africa, West Africa, Europe, Eastern Europe, whether Ukrainian, whether Russian. I have those students with me for last 14 years here at Job Corps. That's what I do, I guide them through to make sure that their lives are going to be better tomorrow.

Paul Meunier 

It's wonderful that your grandma instilled such wonderful values in you and such a sense of hope and optimism and a belief in you that you could pretty much accomplish what you wanted to do with your life. And you were in need of the nutrients and her ability to breastfeed you kept you alive. I know when we were talking, you were saying that's important. So, not only did she give you the gift of life, she also gave you the gift of hope and optimism and you carry that forward. Did you feel like your grandma's a part of you and a major influence of your personality and who you've become as an adult in this world?

Francis Yengistic 

I'm gonna say to the rest of the women in the world, mothers in the world whether a grandma, grandparents, more especially those ones who carry us for all the nine months. I still give credit to my mom. She did right choice to give me away to my grandma. She knows very well that I'll succeed and I'll be alive. If I was to stay with my mom probably I would not have been here. We've got two other siblings that followed right there. You know, it's bad times you know. Birth controls are not there. I don't blame them. But mom, my mom was wise enough to say, Grandma, you're young, you can take care of him. And again that decision was not bad. But guess what we did with the power of what grandma had. She made me here. And I know there are so many kids out there who thinks their mom has abandoned them or they give them for adoption. Guess what, whether it's from Russia, whether it's from other countries that you get adopted, it is a right choice. The nine months that your mom carried you is great. She did what she has to do. That is you have to call them that. Just call them blessing that you will never got it somewhere. Now, if you're raised by grandma, please hang in there. I made it through. I made it from the dusty place that I came from. And I'm here. Whether you're in South Africa, whether in eastern or Europe, Eastern Europe, I know some of the stories I'm telling you relate to you. Whether you're from Afghanistan, Burmese, Rohingyas, all these people who are going through refugee camp, some of us face those lives. I don't have to go to all the politics in Uganda back in the days where even my own family got kicked out and my dad has to relocate to South Sudan. Here I am.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah, and your mother actually made a very important decision. And it had to be hard for her, that motherly love to give up her son, had to be really difficult. But it was the most maternalistic thing to do because you needed that extra support. And that's the kind of thing that only your grandmother at that time was able to provide to you. And here you are in the United States, working with all kinds of other immigrant young people, and sharing your story of hope and optimism that they can accomplish what they want out of life, too. And I want to talk about your education and your work here. But let's talk about what it was like when you first came to the United States. How old were you and what was that experience like when you set foot in the United States? It had to be really difficult.

Francis Yengistic 

So, when I left Uganda, I completed what we call the HSC. That's the highest level before you go to university. That was 1980s. 1990s I completed the Senior six that was in a school called Kitante Hill. Then from there, my golden chance of coming to United State came. A family came here. They invited their parents and one of the young person that invited me to come with their family was my greatest young, I can call it a hero, that invited me to being part of that family. And when I landed here, I remember very well it was October 28. I wanted to go back.

Paul Meunier 

Really.

Francis Yengistic 

Back in the days that '99 the whole Minnesota is snow by this time. I was like I'm not gonna survive here. It's a very different environment, different culture, different people. I'm used to where in Kampala you see 500 people are all looking like me. I was like, am I going to make it through here. But guess what? I did survive that time. A few months later, I was like, I'm working. I was working in a gas station. I was making that money. I started planning. Again, going back to my grandma. My grandma used to give me what we call quarter small money. You have to save it up. Then that click in my head, grandma saying when you go somewhere the first thing is, don't spend everything on anything. Make sure the day that you feel hungry, take something and spend it. And I started looking at what my grandma said, Don't ever go and fix food from someone that is going to cost you. In other words, don't go and steal. You can live for two, three days without food. So, all that came to me. I was like, Okay, grandma, I'm gonna make it. Back then so I'm still younger, '99 so I'm still young. So I pick up a phone and I told grandma that I left Africa. And then she's like, What? No, you don't know what America is and I was like, Okay, I'm in a different world, but I'm gonna be okay. And then grandma also told me when I left my village that is in the northern part of the country to Kampala, she said don't forget to come home. I will remain here. I'm gonna wait for you to come see me. I say, grandma I'm in United States, but I'll come and see you. All of that success that she did I fulfilled by following what she has told me. And all this for the kids out there, whether you're working with youth, whether you are youth yourself, whether you are working with young people, you need to empower them. You need to make believe that they will be some people. Sometimes when you're young, you are desperate. When you're working with refugee in the camp, they don't know where they're gonna end. But it's just going by miracle that I'm in United States, I was able to get my education. I might need to serve this country in a way that I can serve.

Paul Meunier 

And that's what is so impressive. You came here, I know when we were getting to know each other, you talked about you even had to at times ask people for food, you just really came with literally nothing. And you have made something of yourself in a very meaningful sort of way. But you also give back so much. You now are working with young people but you also served in the military.

Francis Yengistic 

Yes.

Paul Meunier 

 I think before you went on to get your education. Can you talk about what drove you to serve in the military and defend this country when it was so new to you in the first place?

Francis Yengistic 

So, I'm going to summarize it just quickly. First, before I left Uganda my dad wanted me to serve. And back then I was very young, he wanted me to join the Uganda army. So, I was very young, I decided again to relocate to my grandma. And then six months later, he passed away. And so when I came to United States, well 2021 came around, I started college, and two, three months later, September 11 came up. And before the end of the day, I found out I had to pay $8,000. And then September 11 happens, but before I left East Africa also we had the terrorist attack in, in East Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, where so many people got killed. Most of them are people who look like me, 200 of them, I believe, if I'm not mistaken. And the President of United States called young people to serve in the military. I went in. Long story short, I went in because I want to fulfill the dreams of my dad. Second, I wanted to get my tuition paid. Third, I wanted to also protect the country. I never had kids, I never had actually I can say somebody by blood that is related to me. But all these people who made me got here made me serving them in the military. I don't do it because I wanted to just show myself but anyone can do it. You people who are outside this country, you can do it in a different way. Whether it's in your own country, whether it's in a different country, as long as you are legal you can do it. Do the right thing. I don't encourage young people to do in the wrong way, you know, joining some rebels or gangs and all that stuff. That's not worth it for a young person. Now, if you're working with young people, sometimes your work matters. I work with these students almost for the 14 years in Job Corps. These are young people, if I misled them, chances are they're going to do the wrong thing. But yes, I completed my bachelor degree next decide I went for master's degree and there was a bunch of them got paid by the military. I don't ask him more.

Paul Meunier 

Wow, you have such a service mentality. You have come from such humble beginnings and turned it into something so positive that you've given back in so many ways, not only in putting your life on the line by defending us through the military, but also then now serving young people and being able to share your story, your sense of hope and optimism with them. We have to take a short break, believe it or not. But when we come back, I would like to talk a little bit more about your youth work and what you think about all that. So, we'll be right back after this short break.

Jade Schleif 

No matter how you support our young people, The Professional Youth Worker, powered by YIPA, has your training and learning needs covered. Visit training.yipa.org. That's training.yipa.org to see for yourself and then join the 1000s of youth workers around the globe who learn from our easy to access exceptional trainings. From our blogs to our podcast, The Professional Youth Worker is your go-to resource for tools to help you keep going, keep learning, and keep growing. Members enjoy free unlimited access to Live Online and On-Demand trainings, and a preferred discount pricing for our one-of-a-kind certificate course. Annual memberships are ridiculously affordable for individuals and organizations. Visit training.yipa.org today to learn more. That's training.yipa.org

Paul Meunier 

Francis, right before the break we were talking about your service to young people. And I know one of the things you do is go around and just tell your story. What do you tell young people? What is the essence of your story? Is it about grit, is it about determination, is it about hope? What is it that you try to instill in them when you talk to groups of young people in schools and things?

Francis Yengistic 

First thing I'll say, everybody has to have the hope. Hope of life. Survive. Survival is the most important thing in your life.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah.

Francis Yengistic 

Majority of the people, whether in the military, or whether I'm in any environment, or here, in my school where I work with, sometimes people have no hope. I got one of my students, her brother got hurt or killed in North Minneapolis. And I'm looking at students from Myanmar, they were raised in a refugee camp, they never had a hope of being in the United States. And there are so many of them probably in Europe, or anywhere in the world, whether you're working with young people, and here I work with some of them. To tell the truth, there are so many kids that are adopted to this country in United States from Eastern Europe. They cry all the time. I connect with them because I know how it is. I know how refugee life is. I've been there, I've been in their tent. I know how desperate they feel. Some of my students cannot come to school because their parents back home need help. They need some money to get just a single meal. When you have the hope you're gonna make it through. I tell my students, wake up in the morning and look at the mirror and say, I look great, I'm strong, and I can make it to the next level.

Paul Meunier 

I got to believe your words of wisdom to young people really carries them forward in a meaningful way. You give so much to young people, but I know young people also teach us a lot about ourselves. Is there something that young people have taught you that you can share with us? What kinds of things have you learned about yourself in supporting young people?

Francis Yengistic 

One thing the young people they want is somebody who can listen to them, give them and ear. Listen, even if you cannot help them. You can listen. I was once in Kampala, streets of Kampala, with nothing. When I left my village and come to Kampala, I had a brother who's older than me completed Senior four and then he was working for KCC, KCC is Kampala City Council. He cannot afford to help me. But he listens to me and he tells me what I need to know about the city life in Kampala. Same thing with young people. When we listen to them, when we trust what they say, when we believe that their tomorrow will be the leaders of this country. That's what they need. And the hope goes two ways. My grandma one time told me move on, but look back and have the hope.

Paul Meunier 

Your grandma sounds like a wonderful person.

Francis Yengistic 

She was.

Paul Meunier 

Francis, I get the feeling that you could have accomplished many things in this world with your sense of determination, your sense of optimism and your desire to just prove that you can make it. That kind of commitment you have to your grandmother and to your father, it sounds like too. You could have chose a lot of other paths in this life that maybe would have made you more money, maybe given you a little bit more recognition or a little fame. But you chose to serve young people, why young people? What is it about that, that drove you into doing this?

Francis Yengistic 

To me, young people are the foundation and they are the future of the world. The future belongs to them. Sometimes we destroy young people you tell them to go riot and you tell them elections are rigged. You incite them to do bad stuff because you misleading them to do the wrong thing and yet these are the future of the world. We don't want to destroy them. We don't want to misled them. There's a way to bring young people to know what's right or wrong. And the foundation for us all in the world are the young people, whether you like it or not. It's unfortunate that some wars that we have is destroying young people. We recruit them to fight. They get killed in some developing country you find somebody who's just 12 years old serving in the military. Their mind is not for that we're supposed to empower them to be a future leaders but we're putting them into a wrong space when then they're getting hurt, where they're getting destroyed. Unfortunate. but we still have to have the hope.

Paul Meunier 

You have such a beautiful mindset about what the world could be and how important it is to set the stage for the next generation and to give of yourself and be focused on the future, almost making a better world when you're not even here anymore. That's what you do. And it is just wonderful to connect with you about that. And I'm wondering when you work with young people, how do you define your success with them? Is it helping them to get a job and then move on or is it more about just trying to instill hope or is it all that stuff together?

Francis Yengistic 

To me, it's everything plus encouraging them and tell them. To be honest, I came from everything that I have these people I've seen people who are wealthy, like I said earlier, I was in the streets of Kampala I worked as a gate man, gate man means you open the gates so that the boss enter to that house. I worked as a babysitter, but I have a hope that anything that I get from that job, the respect I give that person is going to earn me tomorrow to drive that car that the person will drive. When I connect with these students who are refugees it's the same way one of the refugees somewhere back in East Africa. My dad was in there during the time that there is luxury in Kampala, in Uganda back in 70s. They are making money. But his life ended in a bad way. It's unfortunate that they misused their funds. And this the same thing with some rich people. You think their children are rich, but their parents have left them nothing. You can be from a rich family, you are the same like that person who is from a poor family. We only have one value or two if you like. When you are born that's a value. When you die that's seeing we're all the same, regardless how wealthy you are. Children, or somebody working with youth encourages you, you're gonna be great. Nobody wanted us to be the way it, is it's how life is. Nobody wanted Myanmar or Karen or the Rohingya to suffer in refugee camp without knowing their own home. Nobody wanted to see kids in Jamaica just having no food. That's why there's the hope. That's why there are people good out there that served me when I came to this country and got food. And now I'm able to give something out.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah. You care so deeply for others. It's just so transparent how much you give of yourself and how deeply you care about others. What's one thing that keeps you awake at night that you worry about young people today?

Francis Yengistic 

Oh, that's a loaded question.  It's, again it depends on the country where you are. A lot of kids, young people are getting taken away. Their parents powers. I was raised different. I believe you were raised different. But nowadays, I don't have time with my own kids. I'm at work eight hours, probably by the time I get home everybody's exhausted. I wish I had enough time to work with my students, to be with my children, to be an uncle to my own nephews and nieces. But the time is not there. Young people whether female or male sometimes they don't even know they have cramps and they wanted somebody to tell them what to do. Nobody's there. Parents, aunties at work. People are locked up. Nobody's there to help them, to guide them. I wish we can go back I don't know, 20 years, 30 years, and be able, but it's not that good. But with the hope I believe the future of our young people is going to be great. I hope those of us who are working with young people also who say you're going to make it happen. You're going to be successful.

Paul Meunier 

Yeah. I think it's interesting when I asked you what keeps you awake at night part of your answer was I don't have enough time to do everything I need to do. It was such an altruistic answer, a deep and meaningful answer that you gave. Thank you.

Francis Yengistic 

You're welcome sir.

Paul Meunier 

You know, Francis, it's been just wonderful hearing your story. And I'm so grateful that you opened up your heart and your soul to telling other young people about it in hopes that you can inspire them and encourage them to do great things with their world. And your story on The Passionate Youth worker is exactly what we do The Passionate Youth Worker about. We all need to be inspired and we all need to give of ourselves the best that we can in the most unique way we can. Because we have the power to change the lives of young people. It's not a small thing that we're doing here. It's a very important thing. And I'm so grateful that you came to the United States, you served our country well, you went to college, you got educated, and you got educated in a way just to give back to other people. So, thank you for all you've done. And thank you for being a guest on the podcast.

Francis Yengistic 

I really appreciate. Thank you, sir.

Paul Meunier 

Francis, before we go, I always like to give the guests the last word. So, what words of wisdom or inspiration would you like to leave with the listeners?

Francis Yengistic 

First but not the last, I will say for those people, more especially my young people from West Africans, taking a dangerous cross to Europe, getting drown or crossing to Libya. Please, think about it. I know how tough it is in your home country. For those who are crossing the desert, whether through South America to cross to United States. Sometimes it's not worth it. I made it here not the wrong way. You can do it from your own country. You can survive than crossing those oceans or rivers for anything to bring you out of your country. Please believe on yourself too. You can make it. Whenever you wake up in the morning, look at the mirror and say thank you. Whoever you're going to thank whether it's your God, whether yourself, say, validate yourself. Don't wait for your mom to say you look great. Don't wait for somebody to say your hair is great. Don't look at somebody else and say that somebody does say look great, you're in trouble. Please believe on yourself, you will be successful in this world and do the right thing. Say, I love you, son. I love you, man. I love somebody. I love my country. The leaders may not be the one that you want. But leaders lead you the young people will make it happen. Do the right thing. Don't get enslaved and I really really feel honored to be here to share my story. I wish I can say more. And I wanted you just to take it from me that without you there's nobody who's gonna listen. So listen to my story and other people are gonna give to thank you so much sir, I really appreciate being here. You're the best in the world whether I did not mention your country. Be blessed.

Paul Meunier 

If you would like to share your passion for youth work, we'd love to spotlight you as a guest. If you have feedback about the show, please let us know. Just visit training.yipa.org, that's training.yipa.org and click on the podcast tab. This podcast is made possible in part due to a generous contribution from M Health Fairview. I'm your host Paul Meunier. Thanks for listening to The Passionate Youth Worker.