Peer pressure is a powerful force. A few words, a couple of looks and, in a moment, a young person can be pushed down a path that could change his life forever.
It's a power that's often discussed in a negative light, but for Ron Watson it's a power that can and should be harnessed for good. Watson founded the Had2 initiative on that principle.
"I believe that if a kid finishes school, he has the ability to help another kid finish," he says. "It starts with a new attitude that we have to embrace to inspire kids to want to finish high school. It's a big deal. No matter what it takes, you've got to finish high school. It's just the minimum level of education you have to have to be even somewhat prosperous."
Watson, a North Little Rock native who was a walk-on player for the Arkansas Razorbacks, worked advance security for President Bill Clinton and created the original Sooie Sauce -- a seasoning, marinade and table sauce. He came up with the Had2 concept in 1996, using it as a positive, motivational message on products such as sports apparel.
"I always knew it had a major purpose behind it, but I had to connect it to something," says Watson, who serves as president of Had2.
About 13 years ago, he felt compelled to attach Had2 to a new cause: encouraging young people to finish high school.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 75 percent of American prison inmates don't have high school diplomas. Knowing that alarmed and inspired Watson to try to do something about it.
"If you're uneducated, you can't make educated decisions," he says, repeating his personal mantra. "We're losing our kids. It's just a travesty to not reach your goals."
Had2 Graduate is a multipronged effort that engages students, teachers, families and the entire community to encourage young people to go as far as they can with their education. When they succeed, everyone benefits. They make more money, are less likely to commit crimes or to live on welfare and they have more chances to be responsible, contributing members of society.
"When you push them forward, they're not going to ask you for anything," Watson explains. "I want young people to know they are a business. They have to invest in themselves."
One key way to do that is to encourage peer-to-peer mentoring and counseling, and to develop a culture at schools where the students push and support each other. Watson says that changing the way kids think about school can help them realize, "It's an honor to get to sit in a classroom and have a teacher administer education to you."
Watson talks to schools about mentoring programs. But he's also trying to engage the community and businesses through several partnerships with Alliance Rubber, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Onebanc, the city of Little Rock, the Clintons, the Landerses and Ben E. Keith. They're working on starting opportunities for Had2 kids, like scholarships, special deals on event tickets and first cars, mentorships and internships.
"I'm asking all these big companies to work with kids, give them opportunities so they'll know how to get that job."
But as Watson sees it, this is an initiative that can and should involve everyone because dropout rates and their ripple effects hurt the community.
"You can help us with resources," he says to potential sponsors. "You can help us with time. If you would invest into a kid in the community somewhere around you."
That may mean taking a teenager to lunch, asking him about his day or offering him a job mowing the lawn. Watson says it takes a large group of people to make just one person turn out well.
"Pour out what's in you into a young person. If you don't, you're going to die with it. It takes a community to raise a kid," he says.
Too many young people make quick, bad decisions that can ruin the rest of their lives. That's why the Had2 initiative has wristbands, or, as Watson calls them, wrist reminders. The hope is that the bands will be a tangible, visible sign to help a teenager sidestep bad decisions. One band says Had2 Graduate.
They are, he says, "An instant reminder of, 'Really, what am I working on right now? I can't do that.' It takes that to keep from making the wrong choices. It takes a split second for a kid's life to change forever."
The partners of the Had2 Graduate reminders are the Had2 Help bands. These are conversation starters, a way to spread the message and to engage the rest of the community in the effort.
The public is also invited to donate to the initiative. Unlike with many programs, the money raised by Had2 doesn't stay in-house. It is distributed to existing, established programs, like after-school activities sponsored by the city of Little Rock, programs that work to keep youths busy and off the streets.
Dana Dossett, director of community programs for Little Rock, says, "We've got programs all day long but I run out of money. So, this allows money to come in through a different source."
They hope the initiative will grow and become a model for other communities around the state and country.
Watson also hopes to some day be able to open a Had2 center with more support programs and training.
"We're going to leave you with a skill but you're going to be a really upstanding citizen," he says.
The point, Watson says, is that on a basic level everyone wants the same thing.
"We want safe communities. We want educated kids. We want a good opportunity. We want to live a good, clean, productive life, to be an upstanding citizen. This is a community thing. We want to make Arkansas one of the safest places to live, to get back to community."
More information about Watson's mission or how to donate can be found at had2.com.
High Profile on 07/17/2016