When The One Matters

We’ve often heard the expression, “Each one reach one”, and while the phrase sounds eloquent, the reality is, reaching the one is not always an easy task. Our society has catch phrases that sound poignant, but the truth is, they mean little if the one we’re trying to reach is unreachable because they have no concept of their worth, or their ability to escape their difficulty and life circumstances.

That’s where we come in. At Centered On Youth (COY), we refuse to sit on the sidelines and read the devastating headlines about our youth. We cannot sit idly by and be spectators in an arena of urban problems. We chose instead to be proactive and seek out young people to let them know they matter. That their life has purpose and the promise of an undeniable future. They must know that in a sea of people they are ‘the one that matters’.

We instill hope. That concept seems basic until you consider hope is something many of them simply have not had. Their life experiences have been riddled with obstacles and adversity. Think about it. How do you dream through tears, heartache and disappointment? You don’t. Instead, you focus on survival and whatever it takes to make it to another day. The result is, they quit hoping and they’ve forsaken their desires and dreams long ago.

Instead of allowing them to succumb to defeat, we breathe life into them and help them chart a course that leads to a brighter future. We restore their dreams and give them a glimpse of just how powerful the force of hope is. Once that happens, they realize they can not only make it, but they are ‘the one that matters’. That their life is significant and filled with so much promise that they can and will achieve GREAT THINGS.