CINCINNATI – At WCPO, we continue our search for solutions with a focus on youth violence in Cincinnati and the groups working to encourage our youth to take positive paths and break the path to prison.
One nonprofit organization said its “Transformation Camp” was not only a positive change, but also the beginning of a fulfilling adult life.
“We just need to encourage (teenagers) in a positive way and see a change in that area alone,” says Super Seeds CEO Candice Tolbert.
She said a few days could change a whole life. And her teenage years are living proof of that.
We first met Tolbert at our Community Conversation in downtown Cincinnati, where not one but several teenagers, including 17-year-old Jevion Byrd, said Tolbert and her program had changed their lives.
We visited the organization for what they call “Super Week,” an event where young people receive ongoing training and act as ambassadors for their communities.
“I actually came through the program, through the court. I came the first day and then I didn’t come the second day. But I’m glad I didn’t come the second day because I came a few weeks later … when they had just started the ambassador stuff, and they just liked me. And (Candice) asked me if I wanted to work with them,” Byrd said.
Like all youth in the ambassador program, teenagers like Byrd and Lilli Wright began with the two-day “Transformation Camp.”
“They just give us good advice,” Wright said.
The camp is a kind of learning opportunity. Instead of sitting at home exposed Super Seeds uses the time away from school to reform, restore and give new direction to the lives of young people.
“For example, if we take a child who has been in a fight, he is excluded from school for ten days. What good does that really do for him? Where is the training in de-escalation, anger management and conflict resolution to get him back to school? And that’s exactly what the camps do,” said Tolbert.
Twice a month, they bring about a dozen teenagers ages 13 to 17 to the Hamilton Justice Center to interview a judge, observe the intake process and talk to inmates.
Then it’s time to tour a local college and talk about career goals, scholarships and ways to achieve them.
They even visit the UC Medical Center to talk about guns, drugs, trauma and violence, with a focus on life-saving techniques like cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
“When teenagers come to us, they are very broken inside. They don’t care. They’ve kind of given up hope. Nobody encourages them. They can’t participate in a lot of activities at school because of their behavior. So when they come to us and we say, ‘You’re still valuable, you’re still valuable,’ their eyes open because nobody told them that before. And then we invite them to be part of this journey and become ambassadors,” Tolbert said.
According to reports, the camp is functioning.
From 2016 to 2023, 754 youth participated in the camp and 72% of those referred to court did not result in further court proceedings.
“Based on this experience, we found that 28% actually came back. We then launched an ambassador program to provide comprehensive support to the young people who have gone through the ‘transformation camp’ but need additional support and training,” she said.
Free from the system, Super Seeds ambassadors like Byrd and Wright can forget the past and focus instead on the future, they say.
“I’ve learned a lot. I feel like they’re really teaching us about life,” Wright said.
Click here to learn more about Super Seeds and how you can help.
