MACON, Ga. — According to Big Brothers Big Sisters, children with a mentor are 33 percent less likely to hit someone, and even more less likely to commit another act of violence.
Many children, like Darius Davidson, have good behavior and want a role model to help them stay on that path.
Sometimes life is like a game.
"You hop on with random people, you can make friends," Darius said.
A chance to escape reality.
"Kind of like hangout with random people," Darius said.
For Darius, it is a search for a connection.
"Just like, somebody that was like, that would like be a father figure," Darius said.
Darius's mother, Crystal Davidson, says his dad is not active in his life. So she enrolled Darius in Heart of Georgia Big Brothers Big Sisters, seeking a mentor to help guide her young man.
Crystal did not want to do an interview on camera, but she did talk to 13WMAZ off camera. She says Darius has a learning disability, so he needs a little extra help when it comes to math and reading. He also needs a mentor that can help keep him on the right path.
Crystal says doctors diagnosed her son with ADHD and ADD. That doesn't stop him from striving to reach his potential, but it does require a little extra focus at school.
While mom wants a mentor to help support Darius inside the classroom, Darius wants a new friend to spend time with outside the classroom.
"I guess just hang out, talk a lot, and somebody who actually wants to play, like hangout, go do football, play basketball," Darius said.
Overall he wants someone who is a positive male role model. One he can look up to for guidance as he grows up.
In every game, you either win or lose, but Darius believes having a mentor on his team could help him achieve more victories in life.
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