STYCtalks Empowering Young Voices

    Do You Know Where Your Children Are? Some of us recall the late-night message that once flashed across the television: “It’s 11:00—do you know where your children are?” Although there may not have been a flashy commercial to accompany it, the simple reminder carried weight. It didn’t prevent every bad choice or tragedy, but it made parents pause. If your child wasn’t at home, it forced a question: Where are they, and what are they doing? That same question is just as urgent today. Violence, substance use, and risky behaviors are touching our community in ways that are heartbreaking and often preventable. Recently, a young person—someone’s child or grandchild—was accused of committing a violent crime at a bus stop. Behind the headlines is a truth: this is not just “a suspect,” but someone’s family. We cannot afford to look away or to excuse warning signs that might have been noticed earlier. Why STYC Is Offering the Hidden in Plain Sight Experience? Parents ...

"Pivoting Toward Prevention: A Call for Community Support" In basketball, a pivot allows a player to keep one foot grounded while turning to find a better position — to see the court more clearly, make a stronger pass, or take a smarter shot. At STYC, we’re making a similar move. For nearly a decade, we’ve stood firmly in substance use prevention, rooted in youth leadership, community partnerships, and culturally relevant strategies. But the game is changing. The same young people we serve are now facing additional risks — from rising violence and untreated mental health challenges to the growing dangers of youth gambling. So, we’re pivoting. Not away from our foundation, but toward a more comprehensive approach to prevention — one that addresses all the factors threatening youth well-being. We’re expanding our lens while keeping our mission clear: to build safer, healthier futures for our youth. But we can’t do this alone. We need our community — including neighbors, e...

The work of prevention—of substance use, of violence, of suicide—can’t pause because a lease ends. And yet, here we are. STYC, a coalition built on 10 years of youth-centered advocacy, education, and intervention, has been displaced from our physical space to make room for an affordable housing development. We support housing deeply. We recognize the importance of providing stable housing for the families in our service area. But it’s also true that prevention work needs a place to live, too. We serve neighborhoods where trauma lives, where opportunity feels miles away, and where youth are making life-and-death decisions without enough guidance or support. Yet, in the very area where we are needed most, there's no office space available for us to continue that work. STYC isn’t a large nonprofit with deep pockets or national branding. We are small, rooted, and nimble. Our power has always come from the people—the youth advocates who run workshops, the parents who show up, the par...

The recent emergency suspension of a Germantown bar—where more than 100 underage patrons were reportedly present and actively drinking—has stirred concern across our city. Rightfully so. But for many of us working on the front lines of prevention, this isn’t a surprising event. It’s a consequence of what happens when prevention is not prioritized. At STYC, we’ve seen what happens when underage drinking is dismissed as a rite of passage. And we’ve seen what can happen when a community says “enough.” That’s why, for nearly 10 years, we’ve been conducting compliance checks with local retailers to ensure that alcohol and tobacco aren’t being sold to youth. Our coalition includes youth leaders, parents, law enforcement, and community partners who believe that access to substances should never be this easy—or this common. These checks aren’t about punishment. They’re about prevention. They are reminders to businesses that they play a role in the safety of our children. They also help c...

The world is constantly changing—some changes are positive, others challenging. STYC has experienced these changes firsthand as we enter our tenth and final year of the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant. Completing a decade of federally funded work is a significant achievement, marked by rigorous reporting, demonstrating outcomes, and unwavering dedication to the community. Throughout this journey, Luther Brown served as the glue that held STYC together. Serving first as co-chair and later as chairperson of the executive board, Luther demonstrated an exceptional passion for community improvement and violence prevention. He coordinated "Stop the Bleed" workshops, distributed gun locks, and facilitated "Too Good for Drugs and Violence" trainings across the community. Luther rarely missed a meeting, always ensuring he was thoroughly prepared to address community needs and explore how STYC could meet those needs effectively. His dedication to the youth advocates was pro...

A fter speaking with members of the STYC coalition board it was decided that Angela is due recognition for her hard work and rightly so. So, this is her story as seen by the Board. Angela Hollingsworth Is the current director of Shawnee Transformation Youth Coalition. Angela joined the coalition after serving with the Louisville Metro Department of Health Department’s and the country’s very first Center for Health Equity. She has served with the coalition since 2015 when the previous director had to step down due to emergency circumstances. Angela stepped in and graciously and excellently helped the coalition to not only survive many tough seasons, but also to thrive, even to the point of statewide and national recognition. Some of the accomplishments that STYC  has achieved under the direction of Ms. Hollingsworth are receiving 501c3 nonprofit status, the continued awarding of federal funding, awarding of new state, local, and community-based organization funding, a strong coaliti...