Affectionately known as “Pastor Shaq” by both people around the city and the teenagers she works with, Shaquila Mathews draws her passion both from her work as a minister and as a mother of two boys to fuel her efforts to make Hamilton a great place to live, work, and play… especially for teenagers.
Growing up in Hamilton herself, Mathews remembers work programs and fun activities that kept her and other teenagers entertained.
“When we were young, we were a part of a work program for kids through the city, and we wanted to do film production, and they paired us with a mentor to make it happen,” said Mathews. “I’ll never forget how we were able to create something tangible that we could put our hands on.”
In 2016, Mathews networked with key leaders in the city and secured funding to begin the Pastor Shaq Job/Mentoring Program. Serving more than 25 young people that year, the program focused on connecting teens to mentors in the community who could help them find the resources they needed to begin their first jobs, find post-secondary education, and proceed into meaningful careers.
“I moved back from Indianapolis to Hamilton, and a local pastor had a summer program for kids clean, pick up trash, and earn a few dollars, he had over 100 kids working,” said Mathews. “We combined ideas from Hamilton’s past program, the Indianapolis program, and our own addition of mentors.”
In 2017, the program blossomed to include 50 teens who completed community service work, talked with mentors, and journaled about their experiences each Friday. In 2018, Mathews turned her attention to developing a non-profit organization that, in addition to holding the program over the summers, would create programming opportunities year-round for teens. While developing this non-profit, she continued to refine the summer program.
“We wanted to give kids somewhere to come during the summer that would help them be productive and have a good time,” explained Mathews. “There was a process and an orientation, and you commit to the 8 weeks. There were kids who wanted to join but had to join a waiting list at times, so we know the interest is there.”
The new non-profit, HYPE Hamilton, is working toward providing a safe place for programming and for teens to hang out in a supervised space during the school year. The long-term aim is to be just as popular with teens as the Boys and Girls Club and the Booker T. Washington Center are with younger children.
“Kids say, ‘I want to be an actor, I want to be a dancer,’” said Mathews. “We want to have mentors taking our kids through what it takes to be an artist, the production of music, things that help students see that their ideas are attainable.”
Mathews can be seen at many city-wide events, and she is tireless in her efforts to provide opportunities to the students of Hamilton. She believes that Hamilton is a place that, alongside its challenges, has a core of positive support that can be leveraged for good.
“I think when it is time to come together, we come together here in Hamilton,“ said Mathews. “I’ve loved seeing the support from the community; people love seeing the kids out picking up trash and taking pride in their neighborhood.”