RACINE — Inside a room in downtown Racine, teens, fathers and elders are getting real about what they've been through.
The city's Department of Community Safety has launched "From Struggle 2 Strength," a series designed to interrupt violence by investing in young men. In a city still grieving recent shootings, Racine is betting on connection over punishment.
"We do understand that trauma is a core factor in violence within our community," John Tate II, director of the Department of Community Safety, said.
"If we're not addressing that in a healthier, more accessible way, then we're not ultimately getting to the root causes of why the things happen in our community that we don't want to see happen."
The program brings together males, some as young as 13, to talk about pain, purpose and what it takes to change. Among them is Ameri Miller, a Park High School student who says just getting to school can be dangerous.
Watch here: How "From Struggle 2 Strength" is investing in men and working to curb violence in Racine.
"I just wanted to do something, help out my community," Miller said.
He's taken on a leadership role in the series, which is mentored by Corey Prince, a Racine native who built this program from the ground up.
"As a person that's from the community, understanding that we have a cycle of violence that if it continues, it can spiral out of control and affect so many people, so many lives, so many families in so many different situations," Prince said. "I want to be a part of the interruption, versus being a part of the problem."
Prince hopes participants gain hope, purpose and brotherhood through the program.
"I hope that they gain some hope, a sense of purpose, a sense of brotherhood, a sense of unity, understanding that their situation is not bigger than they think and there's other people that have been through the exact same situation willing to help them navigate those circumstances," Prince said.
The program uses workshops, tough conversations and role models to show what's possible. Miller, who dreams of becoming a nurse and maybe a basketball or volleyball star, feels encouraged by the community support.
"I feel very happy that people, there are people like that in our community that want to help the youth and get us on the right track," Miller said.
He wants others in the Racine community to get involved and offers this advice: "You can't be shy all your life or else that's not going to get you anywhere. If you want something, you gotta go and get it."
Prince believes the program will continue to expand. "And it's only gonna grow," he said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
