More Families Than Seats

We already have more families interested than we have seats for L.I.T.T.'s first Community Cohort. Your gift helps us fund every one we can serve

Omaha-area families have already reached out about enrolling their kids, from multiple school districts across the metro. We already have more interest than we have seats for in this first cohort of 12. That's not a hypothetical need. That's real demand, before we've even opened registration.

Most of these families have told us they'd need full financial assistance just to enroll their kids. The demand is there. The barrier is funding — not interest, not reach, not relevance. Just dollars.

We don't go after the behavior. We get them to the future.

Most youth programs start with rules and consequences — managing behavior after it's already a problem. L.I.T.T. starts somewhere else: the future. Research on adolescent development consistently shows that teens who can clearly picture a positive future for themselves are more motivated to protect it — and make better decisions as a result. Studies in developmental psychology journals link a stronger sense of future orientation in teens to less violence, lower substance use, and better academic performance. When a young person can see who they're becoming, the behavior takes care of itself.

What is L.I.T.T. Youth Development?

L.I.T.T. (Life • Identity • Training • Transformation) is a structured identity-transformation program built by Alexis Lawson, its founder and lead facilitator — and it comes from her own life, not a textbook. Before she was ever the one leading the room, she was one of the youth in it: navigating her own path through addiction and legal trouble as a young person, carrying labels that were never the whole story of who she was. She's been in recovery since June 2017, and L.I.T.T. is the program she needed back then, built into the one she now delivers to others.

That's exactly why it works. Alexis isn't teaching decision-making from theory — she's teaching it from a life she had to fight to rebuild from the ground up. She gets these young people, because she was one of them. And because she was one of them, they trust her enough to actually listen.

L.I.T.T. isn't a lecture about what not to do. It's an action-based program that helps young people drop the labels placed on them and build a real, concrete vision for who they're becoming.

Every L.I.T.T. mentorship starts with our core foundation, the 5-4-3-2-1 Vision Framework — youth don't just fill out worksheets, they build a real 1-year vision, name their strengths, and map out the exact blockers standing in their way.

From there, the program covers five core focus areas:

Mindset & Beliefs — rewriting negative labels and limiting beliefs into empowering truths
Substance Awareness & Prevention — real-talk on why teens use, and building healthier tools to manage stress and emotions
Circle of Influence & Boundaries — navigating peer pressure and telling the difference between a social circle and a true support system
Mission, Identity & Purpose — discovering who they are beyond their environment or past mistakes
Leadership & Contribution — taking accountability for daily choices and learning to positively impact their community

Youth don't just talk about change over the 8 weeks — they build a concrete plan for it. Every week for eight weeks, they show up for a full 2.5-hour session — not a quick check-in, but real, sustained time to do this work.

Over 8 weeks, youth build real skills — identity, decision-making, emotional regulation, and a plan for what's next. This isn't another motivational talk. It's the tools I wish someone had given me.

Does it actually work? Here's the proof.

This same methodology is already running inside the Douglas County Youth Center. This spring, across three units:

38 youth served, 24 sessions delivered
100% program completion and retention in two of the three units — including the highest-need unit, the group with the most reasons to disengage
In the third unit, where youth turnover was highest — participants were transferred or released from the facility mid-program, which is common and expected in a juvenile justice setting — 82% of participating youth still completed the full framework
Every completing youth left with a mapped 1-year vision, named personal "blockers," and set actionable goals

In their own words:

"This program has changed the way I see myself... it will help me be more positive towards other peers."
"It made me open my eyes and realize my purpose in life... I'd say it's the most eye opening, life changing, and lovely program ever."
"She involves every kid, looks you in the eyes and makes you feel you're not alone."

This is the same modules, the same "real talk" delivery — now coming to Omaha youth in the community, before they ever end up somewhere like DCYC.

Where your $6,000 goes

One cohort. Twelve youth, ages 12–19. Eight weeks.

Your donation covers real facilitation from trained, experienced facilitators, a hot meal for every youth at every session, materials and rewards for staying engaged, and a space for them to gather and do this work — every week, for eight weeks.

Give at any level:

Amount	What it covers
$25	Helps cover a youth's workbook and materials
$50	Fully covers one youth's workbook, materials & certificate
$100	Venue rental for one full week
$200	Brings in a guest speaker for the cohort
$350	Funds the facilitation team for one full session
$800	Covers venue/space rental for all 8 weeks
$1,100	Fully funds hot meals for the entire 8-week program
$6,000	Fully funds the entire first Community Cohort

A note on tax-deductibility: We're currently finalizing a fiscal sponsor so larger gifts can be tax-deductible. If that matters for your gift, reach out to us directly at info@alexislawsonspeaks.com and we'll follow up once that's in place.

This is our first cohort — not our last. Not everyone on our interest list will have a seat this round. If we fund this cohort and prove it out here in the community, we go raise the next one. Share this page. Every share reaches someone who hasn't heard about L.I.T.T. yet, and might be exactly who helps fill one of these 12 seats.

Know a family who'd want a seat in a future cohort? Have them add their name here: INTEREST FORM LINK

Fund L.I.T.T. Youth Development's First Community Cohort

More families already interested than we have seats for. Help us fund every one we can serve.