In Lumberton, N.C., a small nonprofit is making a profound difference in the lives of at-risk youth.
Through grant-funded programs, the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center (NC-YVPC) provides a lifeline to young people facing crises, many of whom come from troubled backgrounds and lack the guidance and support needed to succeed. The NC-YVPC was established in 2010, as an attempt to decrease rates of youth involved crime in Robeson County, which has the highest crime rate in the state.
The work of this organization goes beyond addressing immediate needs. It offers mentorship, life skills and a sense of family for children who may not have experienced love or stability at home.
“You got parents that are younger. You got parents that are selfish,” said Deana Locklear, a former Lumberton police officer and volunteer at the center. “They would prefer to take care of themselves first instead of take care of their children the right way.”
In Lumberton, much of the youth are heavily involved in crime. The city alone has faced significant challenges with crime rates.
In 2022, the city’s crime rate was about 1,200 per 100,000 residents. At the time, this was five times the national average, placing it higher than 99% of U.S. cities. According to CityData, 31% of Lumberton residents had an income below the poverty level in 2023, which was 57% greater than the poverty level across the state.
Youth involvement in gang life is also a major problem in Lumberton. Because of limited economic opportunities and poverty across the city, gang activity continues to rise.
“There just isn’t enough to do, so they turn to crime instead,” said Locklear. “A lot of the kids don’t want to wait around or work for things, so they just go out and take it.”
In Lumberton, vulnerable youth that are looking for family anywhere, as well as financial relief, are seen as easy targets for gang recruitment.
According to the Carolina Center for Public Service, community leaders emphasize that poverty, high crime rates, and a lack of resources make the issue of gangs worse. The prevention center is heavily needed for relief.
Colors of Life, a local initiative at the prevention center, works to reverse the damage being involved in gang-life does to youth. This initiative provides mentorship and different opportunities for teens to be involved and productive in their community, like helping their families around the house, park clean ups, and many other ways.
Many of the youth that Locklear and the rest of the staff at the prevention center see are there by court order or were brought in by their parents.
“A lot of times we will get calls, ‘Hey I can’t do nothing with my child, they’re not going to school’ and sometimes we go out by ourselves or in teams for an intervention,” said Wendy Locklear, a Violence Interrupter and intake coordinator at the center. It’s through interventions and the center’s different program initiatives that youth are able to turn their lives around.
NC-YVPC program pamphlets. (Photo by Miranda Santos.)
The programs at NC-YVPC are designed to help both youth and their families by finding the root cause of violence and figuring out constructive ways to combat the issue.
A program most teens at the center go through is Teen Court, which was created as an alternative to juvenile detention. Here, teens face a jury of their peers. “Our Teen Court program gives youth a chance to learn accountability without it going on their permanent record,” said Locklear.
Teens here are assigned community service and different educational activities by peer jurors to promote rehabilitation, anger management, and foster valuable life skills. Since its start, Teen Court at NC-YVPC has served over 800 youth and trained more than 300 volunteers, which is a testament to its effectiveness in reaching kids in the community.
For families, the Parenting Wisely program offers aid to parents wanting to strengthen their relationship with their kids. This program uses interactive group sessions with video scenarios, where parents make decisions for conflicts that model what they could see at home with their children.
“We offer parenting classes- not saying you’re a bad parent,” said Locklear. “But we have tools to help you understand your child better.”
Oftentimes, staff members go even further than just leading sessions, but instead offer emotional support too. “Sometimes we have to be like parents,” stated Leon Burden, Violence Interrupter and Colors of Life Executive Director. “We teach basic life skills like sweeping a floor and making sure ‘I love you’ is heard.”
The NC-YVPC partners with local law enforcement and other community organizations through the Community-Based Crime Reduction initiative, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance Programs. Together, the Lumberton Police Department, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and NC-YVPC, look at “hot spots” in the area and analyze local crime data to create an action plan specifically designed to address systemic challenges.
By targeting root causes like poverty and lack of support and opportunity for youth, as well as the center initiatives’ efforts to reduce juvenile crime rates, the nonprofit is able to foster stronger connections between youth and their families, in addition to the community.
Since its opening almost 15- years- ago, the center has received much attention for its success, yet still the staff don’t believe their work is done.
“I believe we’ll be here for a while,” said Burden. “Unfortunately, they’ll always be kids that want to make bad decisions. We just have to put them back on the right path.”
