THE GRIOT PROJECT
The Griot Project — Mentorship and Accountability for Minority Men
"Every man deserves a circle that won't let him become less than he was made to be."
The Griot Project mentors minority men ages 18–30. Started in the Triad — now building circles everywhere, including virtually.
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Three short assessments. One honest AI synthesis with an AI-resilience read on every career direction. A full PDF report delivered to your inbox. About 20 minutes.
This report is generated by AI with no human review. If you join a Griot cohort through an approved organization, a mentor reviews everything with you personally.
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In West African tradition, the Griot was the keeper of stories — the one who carried the knowledge of where you came from so you could find where you're going.
We named this project after that tradition because we believe every young man needs someone who knows his story, holds his potential, and refuses to let him forget either.
The Griot Project is not a program. It is a relationship. Between a man who has walked the road and a man who is finding his way onto it.
We don't give advice. We build structure.
Clarity
We help each mentee find his direction —
not by telling him what to do,
but by holding him accountable
to what he already said he wants.
Structure
Every mentee is on a track.
Every week has an output.
Every session has a purpose.
No drifting. No empty encouragement.
Legacy
We measure success in trajectories, not moments.
Where is he headed in five years?
What will he pass on?
That's the standard.
Your Circle is how we stay consistent between sessions.
We built Your Circle — a digital accountability platform — so that the work doesn't stop between mentor sessions. Mentees submit weekly outputs and reflections. Mentors review, respond, and prepare. The AI helps us stay sharp. The human relationship is why it works.
Your Circle
Weekly output due
Reflection submitted ✓
Minority men, ages 18–30, in the Triad.
Greensboro. High Point. Winston-Salem. This is our home base. We work with men who are in the middle of figuring it out — first-generation professionals, career changers, men who have the ability but haven't had the structure or the right people in their corner.
We are not a crisis intervention. We are not a last resort. We are a next step for men who are ready to be held accountable to something real.
3
Active Mentees (Growing)
1
Founding Mentor
2026
Chamber People's Choice Nominee
Jonathan Mickles · Founder
Built by someone who needed this and didn't have it.
Jonathan Mickles is a Senior Program Manager specializing in AI governance and federal program delivery. He founded The Griot Project because he understood firsthand what it costs a young man to navigate career and identity without the right people in his corner.
He also founded Red Boot LLC — an AI governance consultancy — and built Your Circle as a model of what responsible AI in a human-centered system looks like: AI that amplifies, never replaces, the human relationship at the center.
Ready to join your circle?
Applications Paused
We're paused right now while we refine a few things behind the scenes. Check back soon — we'll reopen applications when the next cohort is ready.