S1 E12: For At-Risk Kids, Seeing Death and Despair Up Close Starts Young; Intervention Must Start Young Too

In part 1 of our series, “Avoiding Prison or an early Death,” I write about my experiences growing up as at-risk youth in Brooklyn, New York, and how decades later, in a different state, communities are facing these same issues.  

In this column, I look at an effective organization in Manchester, MYTURN. MYTURN gives at-risk and disadvantaged youth the chance to focus on their goals and succeed in life. It provides mentorship and safe spaces for these young men and women to gain the skills and knowledge critical to becoming upwardly mobile members of society. I also spoke with a mentor who’s been involved in the criminal justice system and was at-risk himself. 

 Anthony Payton is a freelance writer and father living in Manchester. He can be reached at anthony.payton@collaborativenh.org. This story is part of his project, The Common Ground Initiative which aims to highlight the diversity of our communities with stories of people the average Granite Stater might not get to see or meet. The goal is to clarify misconceptions and find the threads that bind us all together as one New Hampshire community.

The podcast is produced by Payton in partnership with The Granite State News Collaborative and the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communications at Franklin Pierce University. The views expressed in this podcast are the hosts alone and do not necessarily reflect those of GSNC, its partners or The Marlin Fitzwater Center.