22 Oct Basketball, Mentorship and Mental Health Come Together at Greenwood Academy Event

Roberto Mejia cross dribbles during a developmental sports clinic hosted by Greenwood Academy and the Golden State Sports Academy in Richmond.

Story and photos by Denis Perez-Bravo

High school and middle school students learned about mental health during a youth development event featuring a sports clinic hosted by the Golden State Sports Academy at Sylvester Greenwood Academy in Richmond. 

Students from Greenwood Academy and DeJean Middle School attended the Saturday clinic, which blended basketball, mentorship and mental wellness activities. 

“Honestly, mental health is a big thing with me,” said Greenwood senior Roberto Mejia, 17. “My cousin passed away from stuff like that, like bullying. I fully support mental health and what we’re doing here.” 

Mejia transferred to Greenwood as a junior with credits to make up. He said he was “doing bad things before,” but now he’s on track to graduate early. 

“They try to build us up and help us prepare for after high school,” he said. 

Greenwood, a continuation school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, partners with community organizations to bring students additional resources. 

One of those partners, Ivonne Malara, a youth mentor with Rosie the Riveter Trust, said she worked with the Golden State Warriors’ Community Relations Department for more than five months to make the event happen.

 

The day began with a workshop led by JT “The Mentor Coach” Thomas, who has conducted more than 1,000 youth workshops across the United States. His message was simple: Be hopeful and set goals. 

“Sometimes, you have kids who may not want to be here or may be forced to be here,” Thomas said. “But these kids were excited to be here.” 

Students listened attentively as he explained the importance of seeking guidance from mentors and being open about their challenges so they can keep moving forward. 

After Thomas’s session, the gym transformed into a hands-on space for Tyler Mitchell and Nick Leach, co-founders of Vocal Journal, a mental health platform that helps users express emotions through audio journaling. 

 

Their workshop combined self-awareness with physical activity, sprinting through agility ladders between rounds of mental health trivia. 

“A lot of these topics can be heavy,” Leach said. “So doing it in a way that’s lighthearted and engaging helps them take away more.” 

Mitchell said the goal was to spark early conversations about mental health. 

“Our biggest goal is awareness,” Mitchell said. “You can go to therapy if something’s happening, or even if nothing’s happening, anytime you want to work on your mental health.” 

The exercises drew from cognitive behavioral therapy practices, such as reframing negative thoughts, adapted for teenagers. 

 

During lunch in the cafeteria, students listened to a panel discussion with professionals from the Golden State Warriors organization, including former NBA player Adonal Foyle, who spoke about personal growth and lifelong learning. 

“Understand that one of the most powerful things you can do to take your mind and yourself to the next level is to be the best reader in any group you’re in,” Foyle said. “That’s what I’ve strived for every single day, even now at 50 years old.” 

Foyle shared his experience emigrating from St. Vincent and the Grenadines at age 15. A late starter in both school and basketball, he said he relied on coaches and mentors to help him succeed and expose him to new disciplines. 

“It’s by learning different skills, by becoming a chef, by learning to cook, by reading, by traveling,” he said. “It’s not just big things; it’s the small ways that change your personality and your identity.” 

That philosophy, that every student is a lifelong learner, drives Greenwood Principal Philip Johnson and his staff to focus on developing the “whole student.” 

“We realize that a lot of kids don’t know what they want to do after they graduate,” Johnson said. “So we give them resources like this. We try to prepare our students for life after high school.” 

After lunch, the gym pulsed again with the sound of squeaking sneakers as the Golden State Sports Academy led the final workshop of the day.  

Students practiced shooting and passing drills before closing out the event with a raffle. Some students won bobbleheads and jerseys, while everyone went home with a Warriors drawstring backpack. 

 

Malara, smiling from the bleachers as she watched students engage in the mental health workshop, said her mission to help youth is deeply personal. 

“Mental health, I didn’t understand it until 2023 when it hit home with one of my children,” she said. 

In 2015, Malara’s only son was killed. The loss left her devastated. 

“I was breaking down inwardly,” she said. It took seven months before she realized she needed therapy, something she said wasn’t common for her as a Puerto Rican woman who grew up in New York. 

Now, as a mentor, she’s dedicated to breaking stigmas and bringing mental health resources to Richmond’s youth. Over the past year and a half, she’s helped connect Greenwood students with resources and hopes to continue expanding those efforts. 

Her next goal is to organize a girls’ basketball clinic at Greenwood. 

“Just because students are in a continuation school doesn’t mean you give up on them,” Malara said. “Greenwood works even harder to help these young people get to graduation, and I want to be part of that.”