Young People Who've Been Written Off
I left West Point in 1981 to follow my call to work with at-risk youth at St. John's School and Residence for Boys. It was their last stop before jail. Covenant House in Houston showed me the same thing. Different walls, same kids, same system that had already decided their outcome. I know what it looks like when the system has given up on you, and the people who are supposed to be there for you aren't. And I know what's possible when one adult refuses to give up.
Staying in that role is harder than starting it. There are nights when a kid disappears and you don't sleep. There are setbacks that feel like failures, relapses, court dates, doors that close just as one opens. You learn that progress is rarely a straight line and that trust is built in small, repeated moments, not speeches. But you also see what happens when you don't quit. A young person starts to believe their own future is worth showing up for. They begin to make decisions you didn't have to make for them. That is the reward, and it's worth every hard night it took to get there.
Our coaching and mentorship reaches young people between the ages of 14 and 24 who are navigating circumstances most adults would find overwhelming:
- Youth experiencing housing instability or homelessness
- Young people aging out of the foster care system
- At-risk teens in underserved Florida communities
- Young people involved with the juvenile justice system
- Youth in group homes, shelters, and transitional programs
- First-generation students needing mentorship and direction
They don't need a pep talk. They need a person, someone who can actually hear their truth today and help them see a different truth down the road. When a young person says life sucks, I don't argue. I say I get it, I see it, and you don't have to accept it as the end of the story. I'm not telling them they're wrong. I'm telling them they have the power to change it. That's what they need. Someone who shows up, doesn't flinch, and tells them the truth about what they're capable of.
At-risk youth are my focus, but you don't have to be at risk to work with me. I partner with schools, community groups, and any young person between 14 and 24 who wants more out of their life. If you're ready to grow, I'm ready to show up.
