Roca, Inc.

We've got Rewire CBT on the brain at this year's Annual Breakfast event. Join us on May 2 for an inside look at the cognitive behavioral skills that can save young people's lives. When you buy a ticket, you help make their transformation possible. Learn more and RSVP: https://hubs.la/Q03brD1y0

Shout out to the folks at the City of Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation who hit the streets with Roca Baltimore to see our relentless outreach in action. The i-team is putting data and behavior science to work to build a better Baltimore — we can both learn a lot from each other! 📷 by the Baltimore City Innovation Team

We're proud to partner with Roca, Inc. to host an upcoming panel discussion with local youth, focused on addressing crime and violence reduction in Baltimore City. Join us on Tuesday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at ROCA Inc., 880 Park Ave., Baltimore, MD 21201. In recognition of National Youth Violence Prevention Week, young people ages 16 to 24 are invited to share their experiences and ideas to bring together our communities and help foster change in crime and violence reduction in Baltimore City. Lunch will be served. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to anisha.thomas@rocainc.com by Friday, April 25.

Calling all Boston-area violence disruptors! Registration is open for The Roca Impact Institute's next training in Rewire CBT: a simple, nonclinical behavior change tool based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This training will take place over 3 days on June 3–5 in Chelsea, MA, and is open to individuals and small teams working on the front lines with the highest-risk-risk young people. Space is limited. Learn more and register: https://hubs.la/Q03jcPcH0

We have something special in store for this year's Annual Breakfast event: a unique, hands on experience with Rewire CBT, the behavioral health tool we use to stop violence in its tracks. If you've ever wondered what brain science *really* has to do with urban violence, this is your chance to find out. Learn more and RSVP: https://hubs.la/Q03hlR3g0

Awesome week hosting a Rewire CBT training at our Roca Baltimore site for a group of individuals and small teams representing seven different cities! We had so many incredible conversations and insights in the room made possible by this great group of participants. Thank you to our training crew from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Bench Mark Program, Boys to Men Tucson, Living Classrooms Foundation, Making A Change Group, MedStar Health, Network Connect, NXTGEN 302, and USAID! We can't wait to hear how you're using Rewire CBT in your programs. Our next Rewire CBT cohort open to individuals and small teams is on June 3-5, 2025 at Roca Chelsea and we have a few spots remaining. Register today! https://hubs.la/Q03hgmHn0

Roca staff and participants took to the state capital to advocate for more funding to give violence-involved young adults access to education, employment opportunities, and behavioral health support — interventions that are proven to reduce violence. We raised our voices alongside our partners Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, More Than Words, UTEC, Transformational Prison Project, I Have A Future, La Colaborativa, and Uncornered. If we want a juvenile justice system that meets young people's needs instead of locking them away, government buy-in is absolutely essential. We're so grateful for our advocates in the legislature who are fighting for young people.

The Daily Item spent an afternoon with youth worker Sted Bourdeau, a Lynn native and assistant basketball coach at Lynn Tech, who now dedicates his life to mentoring young men through some of the hardest — and most pivotal — years of their lives. https://hubs.la/Q03ghzXT0

Shout out to Dr. Shana Ntiri from the University of Maryland and the MedStar Health team, who paid a visit to Roca Baltimore on Friday to offer health screenings, teach CPR, and educate the young men on the importance of preventative care. Disrupting violence takes more than just street outreach. If we're going to ask young people to transform their lives, we have to support them through the change process. That includes teaching healthy habits that will set them up for success long after they leave Roca. We couldn't do it without our partners - thank you!

Resilience is often celebrated—but what if this narrative, meant to uplift, is actually boxing people in? When we frame impacted communities solely through resilience, we risk reducing their stories to who is 'deserving' and who is not, overlooking the full complexity of their lives. What I appreciated most about sharing this story on ROCA’s Transitional Employment Program was hearing from the young women—their joy, their determination, and how they envisioned better futures. With ROCA’s continued support, they were learning to use power tools, building walls, and installing fences—reinforcing the soft skills they had developed before arriving on the farm, and ultimately beginning to manifest new beginnings for themselves and their families. They possessed a powerful sense of agency and possibility. Ricky, the Crew Supervisor, had moved from Massachusetts to Greater Hartford, and it was clear—from his interactions with the women and the stories shared about him—that he had built strong, trust-based relationships. One individual described him as, "One of the only men I could trust and feel comfortable around." He was genuinely invested in their individual transformation, and it felt as though they had known each other far longer than just three months. Shout out to the nonprofit professionals and service providers like Ricky who are leaning into their purpose and value, building trust, and driving positive change. Grateful for my colleague Joel Hicks-Rivera, LPC and the staff and young women at ROCA Hartford for their trust and helping me see the story we needed to share. #Storytelling #NonProfit #CommunityFoundation #NarrativeChange #Filmmaking #TransitionalEmployment #Philanthropy #Grantmaking