BALTIMORE — They signed up to become something they wish they had growing up: someone who can offer love, support, resources, and most importantly - a different path in life.
“I never had that love coming from anybody else. So I was a product of the environment that I was living in. So I wanted to make a change. So the change was to give back what was not given to me,” said Richard Lewis.
“I was a product of that system as well. I went through a lot of stuff when I was young, stealing cars, breaking in houses. I had to pay a severe price to know that was not something I wanted to continue to do,” said Bilal Rahman.
“I don't want them to go down the path that I went when I was out there. So it's my way of trying to help them get back and get on the right track,” said James Gaymon III.
The men are all members of an organization called We Our Us in Baltimore, and were recently tapped to become life coaches as part of the Department of Juvenile Services' new program, “Thrive Academy."
Using data, DJS targets kids in their system who are most at-risk for being either a victim or a perpetrator of gun violence, and sets them up with tools they need to break out of the cycle.
“It's just us. It's one on one, letting you know, 'hey I'm here to save your life.' Some of them don't even think their life is in danger,” said another life coach, Clarence Young Jr., who moved back to Baltimore after serving in the Marine Corps for eight years, wanting to make a difference in his hometown.
“We hold them accountable when they're wrong. We let them know when they're wrong. And we love the hell out of them. You gotta love these kids until they feel and know, ok somebody genuinely care and loves me, so I'm gonna do the right thing,” said Ebony Harvin, a Thrive Academy life coach and a pastor at New Solid Rock Pentecostal. She lost her son to gun violence five years ago.
The life coaches are chosen from already-existing community groups, like We Our Us. The goal is for them to serve as mentors, who can relate to the kids' experiences. Like James Gaymon III, who grew up in a project in Sandtown-Winchester, fell in with the wrong crowd, and ended up living under a bridge for 20 years.
“And I said, if I ever get out from under here, Lord whatever you do, I know what I gotta do to give back to you, to give back to the city,” Harvin said.
The program is only in its first few months, but already they're seeing changes - from getting kids back into the school system, to getting them their first job.
“They go into work, put a little money in their pocket, instead of them being on the corner with their head on a swivel, trying to sell drugs, worry about who's gonna rob them, they're going to work every day,” said life coach Gregory Gee.
“Seeing a kid who doesn’t like school go and get his GED. We got a kid get his GED while he was involved in the program and he was incarcerated at the time. Now he’s been home, he has a job now, he no longer is in the street, he’s really turning his life around. And that makes it worth it at the end of the day," Young Jr. said.
The life coaches help the kids with big-picture things, like establishing a "life plan."
"So we try to figure out what their needs are. First and foremost, we focus on education. Without education, you’re not gonna be able to do anything as an adult. The kids that I’ve had, they both have children already. They’re kids with kids. So we gotta focus on the parenting. So how do we line you up with a career and finances? We try to give them as many avenues that they can go down as possible, so that they can make the choice, because they can do anything that they want," Young Jr. said.
"His main focus is getting out of school, that's first. And he's gonna go from there, break everything down, one thing at a time," Lewis said of his client.
But they also help with the basics, too.
“Just this past Saturday, I took my client shopping. And it was a different experience for him, because he’s just coming home, he’s got one outfit. He’s tired of wearing that one outfit, and I’m tired of seeing it. So I made this one promise back in December, and I wanted to keep my word, because that’s important. It’s all about that trusting relationship. Any departure from that, you can lose them," Rahman recalled. They ended up buying matching outfits to wear to the Wednesday meeting, per the client’s suggestion.
And sometimes it's as simple as getting a kid to trust someone, and accepting that person's help.
“They start off with a hood, head down, not wanting to speak to anybody. But it's been great though to see them come from that to where they at today - smiling, laughing, joking, playing,” Rahman said.
“And we explain to them, it's in your hands. We're here to help you better yourself, but it's in your hands. And we're gonna hold your hand as long as we can, but you gotta help us,” Harvin said.
They have fun, too. The mentors take their clients bowling, to restaurants, and help them re-learn what it's like to be a kid again.
So far, DJS says 96% of kids participating in Thrive Academy, have stayed clear of gun violence.
The program started in September in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, and recently expanded to Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties. In Governor Moore's most recent budget, he set aside $4.4 million dollars for Thrive Academy to continue.
“I wish years ago we had something similar to this, and we would not be where we are," Harvin said.
The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform is providing assistance. Executive Director David Muhammad says: "NICJR is proud to partner with Mayland DJS to support the design, development, and implementation of the Thrive Academy. NICJR conducted detailed data analysis of youth involved in gun violence in Maryland to help determine how youth are selected for Thrive. Additionally, our training team has provided a series of trainings and provided technical assistance to the life coaches at local community organizations providing intensive intervention services with youth at high risk of being involved in gun violence."