Young Thug Gives Back To Skyview High With Back2School Bash

Young Thug made the first week back at school feel more like a celebration for students at Georgia’s Skyview High School, and we’ve got all the deets.

The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper returned to the College Park charter school for its Back-to-School Bash, where students spent the day eating, playing games, winning prizes, and preparing for a Q&A with the hometown star.

For Skyview student Josiah, seeing Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, was particularly meaningful because of their shared roots.

“I just want to tell him, I grew up in the same place where you come from,” Josiah said ahead of the Q&A.

The Bash included:

• Food trucks, ice cream and slushies
• Bouncy houses and gaming trucks
• Board games and raffle tickets
• Gift cards and Beats headphones as prizes
• A student Q&A with Young Thug

About 10 to 15 students were selected to ask Williams questions ranging from music industry guidance to personal advice about navigating life as a teenager in the area.

But between the games and giveaways, Williams said he wanted students to walk away knowing something much bigger: they haven’t been forgotten.

Young Thug Wants Students To See What’s Possible

Williams told Atlanta media during a pre-event press conference that Skyview feels personal because he grew up minutes away and sees himself in many of the young people the school serves.

“Got kids out there that kind of look, you know, look alike—look like me when I was young,” Williams said. “So you get to show them like it’s possible for them.”

Williams said artists with influence have a responsibility to recognize how closely young people are paying attention to them.

“We kind of like almost they parents to a certain extent,” he said. “They listen to what we say. They listen to what we do. When you get that type of power, you gotta be involved,” Williams said. “Gotta tell them the right thing.

That includes encouraging students to think beyond becoming the next rapper.

When BOSSIP’s very own Lauryn Bass asked Williams to name a music career young people should know about outside of performing, he immediately pointed to engineering before mentioning management, talent discovery and his own beginnings in fashion.

“Music can kind of be like a stepping stone,” Williams said. “I feel like everything is a stepping stone.”

His advice was not to place an entire future into one pursuit.

“Don’t dedicate your whole life into just one thing, because it probably won’t work the whole for your whole life,” Williams said.

Inside Skyview’s Mission To Give Students Another Path

Williams’ message fits into a larger mission already underway at Skyview, where administrators say the school serves young people who may need more flexibility or support than a traditional high school setting provides.

Vice Chairman Martin Hill described Skyview as a “second chance school” and stressed that students may be balancing education with jobs, family responsibilities or other circumstances.

“It’s not that anything is bad or anything is wrong with the students that we have,” Hill said. “It’s just sometimes you need that second chance.”

Hill said Skyview’s most recent graduating class included more than 100 students, compared with approximately 25 when he joined the board eight or nine years ago.

That support extends beyond earning a diploma.

Dr. Shakeer Abdullah, Skyview’s dean of students and career coach, said the school prepares students for multiple post-graduation pathways, including:

• SAT and ACT preparation
• ASVAB preparation for students interested in the military
• College application and essay assistance
• College, career and military fairs
• Connections to community colleges, technical colleges and four-year institutions
• Career readiness and employment support

“Students want to be ready for whatever’s next,” Abdullah said. 

Principal Shelley Leger said mentorship has also become an important part of Skyview’s approach, with existing programs for both young men and women.

“I’ve seen where mentorship programs have shaped our school, from positive changes in students’ behavior, consistency and interactions with teachers and peers,” Leger said. 

Skyview Assistant Principal Tyrell Walker echoed that emphasis on relationships. He says staff members work to ensure “every student is caught by somebody” inside the building.

Walker says the goal is to remind students that difficult decisions or circumstances don’t eliminate their options.

“You don’t have to just be in the streets in order to make a way,” Walker said. “There’s other opportunities than the one that’s presented to you.”

Hill said Williams’ continued involvement helps reinforce that message. According to Hill, the rapper donated $10,000 last year, helped provide roughly 40 to 50 students with an opportunity to attend his benefit concert and has continued supporting the school, with additional Thanksgiving activities expected.

Young Thug Says Mentorship Has To Be Bigger Than Having Fun

Williams’ next step with Skyview will include mentoring students throughout the school year, but he said he doesn’t want the experience to simply revolve around outings.

“Having fun is cool, but learning is much better,” Williams said.

He plans to expose students to new experiences while also teaching them to eventually pour into others.

“I want these kids to be like ‘we’re gonna go to another school and give our stuff away.’ Just help somebody else,” he said. “I give away gifts instead of receiving them.”

Still, on the day of the Bash, Williams wanted students to enjoy being students.

“You don’t gotta try to be overgrown or try to be an adult as a kid,” he said. “It’s okay to have fun.”

Most importantly, he wanted them to recognize why he and so many others chose to show up.

“I want them to know that they’re not forgotten,” Williams said. “We could be anywhere, doing anything we want. But we are here with you.”

Skyview is inviting the rest of the community to show up, too. Abdullah says there are several ways Atlanta residents, businesses, and community leaders can pour into its students:

• Hire Skyview graduates for part-time and full-time opportunities.
• Donate professional clothing students can wear to job interviews.
• Support the school’s food and clothing pantries with needed resources.
• Connect students with career opportunities and professionals who can expose them to different industries.

“The call to action is come and hire our graduates,” Abdullah said. “If folks don’t know that we need it, then they won’t think of us when they’re donating.”

Those interested in supporting the tuition-free charter school, learning more about enrollment or connecting with its programs can visit SkyviewHighSchool.com.

What’s Next For Skyview Students?

The Back-to-School Bash is only the beginning. Students can look forward to Williams’ mentorship throughout the school year, additional support and activities around Thanksgiving, and continued college, career and military programming through Skyview.

Walker also hopes the school can create a similar mentorship opportunity specifically for its young women by bringing a woman in entertainment to campus.

“I would love for an upcoming rapper or female rapper to come through,” Walker said. “I would love to know a perspective of female rappers in how they got to where they are and how they deal with some of the adversity that they deal with.”

For Skyview’s students, the Bash may have been the celebration that started the year, but the bigger investment is in everything that comes after it.