Empowering at-risk youth in the City of St. Louis with a brighter future.

Journey Within Empowerment Center gives support and social and behavioral well-being to incarcerated youth. This art therapy program utilizes Evidence-Based Practices such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to help reduce recidivism. The detained youth will receive life skills services that will assist in removing negative barriers. Youth who participate in the program activities are more likely to develop high self-esteem, leadership skills, and positive attitudes toward learning.  This will allow youth to express their emotions through conversation, writing, talking, drawing, and singing”. This program provides alternatives to youth’s current methods of expression by offering activities geared towards youth developing a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and empowerment. It is our belief that positive youth development begins with engagement. Journey Within Empowerment Center is focused on reducing the escalation of juvenile crime and incarceration rates in the St. Louis Metropolitan area by offering an array of activities adhering to two broad dimensions of behavior disorders, internalizing and externalizing.

 •       Increased self-discipline, self-control, and self-esteem

•       Decreased likelihood for criminal behavior

•       Increased alignment with positive community institutions

•       Neighborhood development and ownership