5th Harmony: 'Fight ruthlessly for your passions and dreams'

Fifth Harmony took time out of their hectic work schedule to visit a school in Compton, Los Angeles recently as a part of a mentoring initiative in the deprived area.

On March 14, the girls visited California's King/Dre Magnet School for a mentoring session sponsored by Urban Fitness 911, which is a charitable organisation that addresses issues of disparity in health, fitness and academic skills amongst teens in low-income communities.

Fifth Harmony sat on the edge of the school's stage in front of around 70 teenagers and answered their questions about the band's success, including the advantages and pitfalls encountered.

During the Q&A tears were shed by both the kids and the band as they discussed insecurities and personal struggles.

Nineteen-year-old Camila Cabello told the girls that her mother brought her over to America from Cuba when she was only 6 years old, and they arrived literally with only the clothes on their backs. They had to leave their father behind in Mexico.

She encouraged the girls to: "fight ruthlessly for your passions and dreams."

Lauren Jauregui, who is also 19, spoke about the highs and lows she experienced on the day the band's first album was released, she said:

"Last year, on the same day that our first album dropped, my grandmother passed away."

Jauregui had to stick to the gruelling promotional schedule laid down by her record company even though she knew she ought to be with her family grieving.

Normany Kordei said after the event:

"This has been one of the most touching experiences for all of us. It's been a blessing not just for the kids, but for all of us. I think that we are going to leave here ten times happier ourselves because we got to share our stories and got to inspire people through what we love to do, and this is what it's about."

Urban Fitness 911's Veronia Everett-Boyce explained:

"The whole program is about opportunity and showing these kids that they can be something, they can do something. People expect to know that and they don't."

Watch the girls in action below: