People often ask why I am so invested in GYST.
The answer is bigger than wanting to start a nonprofit organization.
I have seen young people age out of foster care carrying their belongings without a real plan for what comes next. I have seen young people leave juvenile facilities carrying labels that follow them into adulthood. I have seen men and women return home from incarceration hopeful about starting over, only to find that housing, employment, education, transportation, mental health needs, and their past can quickly stand between them and the life they are trying to build.
Those transition points matter.
GYST Youth Rise was created to meet people before and during those moments.
This work is personal to me as well. My own family has experienced the impact of incarceration. I have seen what it takes for someone to come home and try to rebuild. I have also seen the effect that incarceration has on parents, children, relationships, and families long after a sentence ends.
Those experiences changed the way I think about reentry and independence. Giving someone a list of resources is not enough. People need preparation. They need practical skills. They need someone to help them navigate systems they may not understand. They need safe housing, education, employment opportunities, healthy relationships, mental health support, and a community that expects something good from them.
That belief became GYST Youth Rise.
Our approach is built around seven areas that affect long-term stability: Housing, Mental Health, Community, Education, Employment, Life Skills, and Relationships.
We do not want to wait until someone is standing at the door of adulthood, leaving a facility, or returning home to ask, “What happens now?”
We want to help build the bridge before they get there.