STYCtalks Empowering Young Voices

In the past month, Louisville has had three recent accidental, self-inflicted shootings involving juveniles—including a 14-year-old who died after an accidental self-inflicted shooting and another juvenile who was hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in the leg. ( https://www.wave3.com ) I’m writing this as a community nonprofit leader, not to shame parents—because shame doesn’t prevent injuries. Barriers prevent injuries. And right now, too many kids are still getting access to firearms during the exact moments we least expect. If you’ve ever said (or thought) any of these, you’re not alone: “I never thought this would happen in my house.” ( https://www.wave3.com ) “He wouldn’t touch it.” “I didn’t know she knew the code.” “I thought I hid it.” “I thought it was only for a minute.” Those words usually show up after the worst has already happened. The weak links: how a carefree teen becomes a gun victim Accidental shootings don’t usually start with “bad kids” or “bad paren...

“A new study from Common Sense Media finds that 36% of boys ages 11 to 17 reported gambling in the past year—ranging from sports betting and card games to online gaming-related gambling through loot boxes and gacha pulls.”      If you don’t have time ⏳ to read the full blog, no worries. Click the link and watch the short 5-minute video on youth gambling instead. It’s quick, real, and straight to the point.   reported by NBC’s Kate Snow on TODAY . When I first read that headline, I had to stop and ask myself—is this shocking? I’m no psychologist or PhD student, but I am a professional who has spent the past eight weeks working directly with a group of 15 middle school students. Many of these youth have either gambled themselves or have been exposed to gambling through family members. What I observed during this time was both eye-opening and deeply concerning—and closely mirrored the findings shared in that national study. For many of us, gambling brings to ...

    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...