Mom never thought she’d be standing in the middle of a room, surrounded by a circle of other boys, as they clung to her heartbroken words just a week later. These were the same boys who had come to know her son, grieving his loss while navigating circumstances sometimes beyond their control to prevent a similar fate.

“He picked the wrong audience,” Gilbert told them Wednesday night. “I just want all you young people to please be safe here. Because I lost my son and I never thought it would be me. So please choose your friends wisely.”

While most of the boys were listening intently, one kid had his head in his shirt.

Marcus Johnson, 10, listened to his mother’s cries for a while before wiping away his own tears and walking to the middle of the circle to hug her. As they tearfully clung to each other, others inside Francis Bellamy School 102 rose to surround the family in support and prayer.

new BOY (Breed of Youth), the youth mentoring service program, hosts its weekly Circle of leaders on Wednesdays. This week focused on healthy grieving, social emotional awareness, social media responsibility and decision making, all while remembering one of their own, Dashawn Anthony Gilbert, 17.