Turning Point of the City (TPC) believes in the leadership potential of young men who are at risk of, or are, justice engaged. TPC works closely with schools and other agencies to reintegrate these young men into normal school activities with caring adults and positive peer relationships. These protective factors increase the likelihood of graduation, reducing a young man’s chance of going to prison by 75%. Below is a story of Aaron, one of our participants. Obviously, the football team was...

Three days before the end of this year’s spring semester, Elijah, a youth involved in our program was at a point of crisis. Failing at school and ineligible for football, he started to experiment with drugs and confessed during a conversation with me to hopeless thoughts. Elijah’s homelife was a mess. Football had become a lifeline of structure, positive adults and peer groups, and hope for a future. I knew that unless we could help him raise his grades to address his eligibility, his...

A Story of Redemption “I wouldn’t waste my time.” The advice came from a member of a team whose discouragement with Dante’s past behavior...