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Every time a kid commits a crime, the US justice system has a choice: prosecute to the full extent of the law, or take a step back and ask if saddling young people with criminal records is the right thing to do every time. In this searching talk, Adam Foss, a prosecutor with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in Boston, makes his case for a reformed justice system that replaces wrath with opportunity, changing people's lives for the better instead of ruining them. By shifting his focus from incarceration to transforming lives, Foss is reinventing the role of the criminal prosecutor.  Everyone in our communities has a role to play in helping to create better opportunities and brighter futures for underserved, at-risk youth. Often it requires looking at the same problems with a new lens. My new book, Jobs, Justice & Jesus, focuses on the need to develop comprehensive, integrated solutions that include multiple organizations and institutions. Let's all work together to do more for our kids.
Click here to learn more and download a free chapter of my book. I'm always excited to find out about programs that focus on helping youth and young adults find meaningful employment. So I was really inspired to learn about Workforce Opportunity Solutions, based in New York City, focused on transforming early career professionals by cultivating their talents. They connect leading companies with a network of thousands of ready-to-work professionals who reflect diverse communities and customers. We need more organizations like this around the country that combine education and work opportunities to equip underserved youth to create a positive future. Keep up the great work WOS! You can learn more about similar services we're providing in Atlanta through Kinsman Community to prepare underserved youth and young adults for the workforce and success in life at www.mykinsman.org.  The average cost per prison inmate per year to US tax payers is more than $31,200 and some states are as high as $60,000 (and these numbers are a few years old). In fact, certain states spend nearly three times as much to house prisoners than to educate students. And that's not counting all the negative family, social, emotional, mental, and community impact that's connected to each person who is incarcerated.
Of course we know that unemployment has a strong correlation to criminal activities. Further, studies have shown that youth crimes go down when they get jobs. So why haven't we connected the dots to see that if more jobs are needed in urban communities to help people take the initial and essential steps break generational cycles of poverty, we look to small businesses as a primary source of job creation? I tackle the answer to that question in my online course, Business as Mission 2.1 Community Jobs Program. This innovative and dynamic online course merges the best practices and ingenuity that missional Christian entrepreneurs have successfully used for years in third world countries and applies them to inner cities and urban areas in America. It is a very unique course in that it combines effective strategies from the areas of 1) economic empowerment, 2) social engagement, and 3) spiritual enrichment. By the end of this course you will have a strategic playbook to make a significant impact in your community by integrating social entrepreneurship and urban missions in a compelling way. I believe we can be more effective in dealing with crime prevention, in particular strategies to create jobs for at-risk youth and young adults who are most susceptible to committing crimes. And Business as Mission 2.1 will do just that! We can do more to develop solutions that change lives financially, socially, and spiritually. Let's do it together for the sake of our future! Just click below to get started...
Only a "dry as dust" religion prompts a minister to extol the glories of Heaven while ignoring the social conditions that cause men an Earthly hell.
In his latter years Dr. King spent a lot of time talking about the major imbalances of finances and economics in the U.S. His words are just as accurate and relevant today as when he first began to talk about these issues.
Learn more about how Kinsman Community is applying his messages by training at-risk youth to start their own businesses at www.mykinsman.org  I am always amazed by people in history who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to do something extraordinary, especially in the light of conditions that were intentionally set against them. One of their commonalities is they usually had great vision to see beyond their circumstances into a future that was very different from their present situations. Harriet Tubman definitely fits this description. As the engineer of the Underground Railroad, she no doubt had to overcome so much of what she saw in the natural and trust the faith that was guiding her. She had to be a BIG dreamer. I love this quote of hers... Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. ~ Harriet Tubman I believe this quote is a great mantra for today's teenagers who are the next generation of world changers, entrepreneurs, inventors, pastors, politicians, leaders, etc. They absolutely need to be in environments that cultivate their creative capacity, energize their intellectual potential, and stimulate their spiritual development. At Kinsman Community that's exactly what we're doing as we provide programs that build teens financially, socially, and spiritually. We're catalyzing their dreams and helping turn them into reality. Learn more about how we work with at-risk youth and how you can support us at www.mykinsman.org  
At Kinsman Community we love the opportunity to work with at-risk teens and help them learn how to start businesses and better their lives. And they say the best form of marketing is a satisfied customer. So we wanted to share with you some of the experiences our students had at our most recent Inc My Dream Young Boss Camp. Check out what these incredible students had to say...
 I am extremely excited and encouraged as I hear more stories of successful businesses started by teens becoming more frequent. In fact a recent article in Harvard Business Review, Meet the Teenagers Who Found Their Own Startups, highlighted research of the characteristics of teens who had started their own successful companies. If we want these instances to be become more frequent, we definitely need to understand what it takes for this current group of exceptional teens to excel. The article stated that... "According to the influential GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), although the average age of an entrepreneur is between 25 to 45 years old, people are starting businesses at younger and younger ages... Despite the difficulties they face, what struck us about these teenpreneurs was that they are smart, have a sense of humor and an appetite for risk, and most importantly, have developed capabilities to meet the challenges." This is why at Kinsman Community we're excited about working with at- risk teens to help them build successful businesses. Entrepreneurship training is an incredible vehicle to help them build their future, break generational cycles of poverty, and transform their communities. Sometimes all a teen needs is exposure to the right opportunity and you will see them flourish. The more we understand what is required for teenagers to build a successful business, the more we can integrate these principles across the board no matter what kind of community a teenager may come from. Click here to learn more abou how we help at-risk teens start profitable businesses.  
The Kinsman Story
My wife, Shawnice, and I have been investing in the lives of teens for more than 15 years. Our passion for seeing at-risk youth succeed in every area of life led us to launch Kinsman Community (Kinsman) in 2014 in the South Atlanta community. Our non-profit organization is dedicated to providing leadership, workplace development, and entrepreneurship training to at-risk youth in Metro Atlanta ages 11-18. After many conversations with community leaders, local church leaders, and leaders of other local nonprofits, we decided to offer our first entrepreneurship camp in South Atlanta in June 2014. The program drew over 25 students and the excitement and initiative we saw in them prompted us to continue to grow our programs in the S. Atlanta community and beyond. Since that time we have expanded our programs to serve more than 100 youth and young adults all over Metro Atlanta. 2017 Program Goals 2017 is fast approaching, and we are expecting to serve more than 100 middle and high school students across Atlanta. We are raising funds to ensure that we have the appropriate resources to serve them with excellence through three key programs: 1) Inc. My Dream Young Boss Summer Camp - Entrepreneur Startup 2) L.E.E.P. (Leadership Employment Empowerment Pathway) - Career Development 3) Club D.A.R.E. (Dreams Are Realized Everyday) - Monthly Business Coaching Programs Needs to Turn Dreams into Businesses Your donation will help to cover needed resources to turn dreams into businesses including: - Trainers and staff - Startup capital for business competition winners - Office supplies - Equipment - Transportation for events - Meals and snacks Thank You! The success of our organization is dependent upon the financial support of community-centered organizations and individuals like you. Your donation today will provide the resources for Kinsman to continue providing this valuable training, instruction, and investments into the students. Learn more about Kinsman Community at www.mykinsman.org.
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