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Roca is an outcomes-driven, high performing youth development organization in Chelsea, Revere, East Boston, and Charlestown, serving very high-risk young people and young parents ages 14 – 24. Based on a belief that every one belongs and can succeed in the world, Roca deliberately seeks out young people who other people, organizations, and institutions have left out, given up on, or turned away.
Roca means rock in Spanish. We are creating a foundation as solid as a rock for young people to change their lives through: Truth – We are truthful about everything that is going on with young people, the challenges in their lives, and that change is hard but possible; Trust - We are committed to building trust through relationships and stay in them overlong periods of time; Transformation – We provide opportunities for participation in life skills, education and employment. Most importantly, we are hopeful no matter what.
The Mission. Roca's mission is to help disengaged and disenfranchised young people move out of violence and poverty. Roca can see a future where young people will leave the streets and gangs to take responsibility for their actions and have jobs. Young immigrant mothers will raise their children in safety and be recognized for their contributions to society. Our communities will have the ability to keep young people out of harm's way and, in turn, thrive through their participation and leadership.
The Work. Roca has developed a comprehensive and strategic intervention model designed to support sustainable behavior changes that enable high risk young people and young parents to move toward the outcomes of economic independence and living out of harm's way.
Roca's intervention model is based on commonly accepted stages of behavior change and includes:
Roca works intensively with 635 young people a year and provides less intensive services to over 150 young people. These young people are: in gangs, on the streets and in and out of prison; some have dropped out of school or are close to it; they are young parents, some as young as 12 and others with several children; and many are immigrants, far from home, left with memories of unspeakable violence.
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