Rodney’s Story: Why Your Support Matters

Rodney first connected with YSRP in 2017, when he was facing charges in adult court. After his case was moved to the juvenile system, he assumed his connection with YSRP was over. Instead, he was met with steady support from co-founder Lauren Fine and from students in the Youth Advocacy Project who visited him, wrote to him, and reminded him that he was not alone.

That consistency changed his life.

Today, Rodney is home and thriving. He is studying Liberal Arts at the Community College of Philadelphia and has become a powerful advocate in the movement to build a safer and more caring response to young people who are caught in the criminal legal system. He organizes with Care, Not Control, has supported young people in court through Yeah Philly’s Violent Crime Initiative, and works with partners like Juvenile Law Center on statewide campaigns. We often see him in Harrisburg or at community events, showing up as a leader shaped by both lived experience and deep commitment.

Rodney is also a member of YSRP’s Intergenerational Healing Circle. He describes it as a place where he can be vulnerable and where he continues to heal and build community with others who have walked similar paths.

When asked what advice he would offer to young people who find themselves in the adult system:

“This moment is not your whole story. Stay hopeful, stay connected, and let people support you.”

This is the power of community. And this is what your Giving Tuesday gift makes possible.

Your support helps ensure that young people like Rodney have someone to walk with them through court, placement, reentry, and beyond. It helps us provide the stability, care, and connection that allow young leaders to grow into the change-makers our communities need.

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Double Your Impact. Strengthen Our Community.

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