"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...