PLANT CITY, Fla. — Tuvaughn Williams was going through a tough time.
The 8th grader at Plant City’s Marshall Middle School admits he “fell into a wrong group of people."
My grades weren’t where they were supposed to be," said Tuvaughn. "My expectations were high, but I was just sitting at the bottom.”
But he found the support, strength and guidance he needed in an innovative motivational group at his school.
It’s called Gentlemen’s Quest.
It may sound like something from “Game of Thrones,” but GQ is a rousing support group for young men from all walks of life who need a boost.
The program teaches confidence, manners, respect for themselves and others.
You have to maintain good grades to stay in the group.
Public speaking is reinforced as each member recites self-empowerment speeches in front of the class. They also perform high-energy step routines with slick choreographed precision.
“Every morning they start their day together,” says their teacher — and force of nature — Stanley Glover. “It creates a brotherhood.”
Glover smiles at the multicultural sea of faces looking back at him.
“What they look like is what America looks like,” Glover says. “You see the diversity in this room? That brings the power.”
The program gained so much attention, Glover turned it into a nonprofit, which funds outings for the group.
Tuvaughn says he’s turned his life around thanks to support from the GQ brotherhood.
“Gentlemen’s Quest built me into who I am now,” Tuvaughn says with pride.
