RAPPER LIL KIM GIVES BACK

Brooklyn rapper Lil Kim recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak and participate in the second annual Keeping the Promise to At-Risk Youth Conference.

Organized by Children Uniting Nations (CUN) and the University of Southern California's School of Social Work, the annual forum aimed to highlight issues within the foster care system and implement mentoring programs and other educational services for foster children and at-risk youth. "It's not what happens to you, but how you handle it that matters," Lil' Kim said. "A lot of times, we all make bad choices, but it's the experience that helps you make the right choice the next time." Workshop topics included the effects of mentoring on children's self-esteem, psychological impacts of the child welfare system, and racial disparities in foster care.

Children Uniting Nations is also currently working to sponsor a bill that would afford college students a break on their student loans if they become a mentor for the semester.