Marginalized teens, particularly Black, Indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQ+ youth, are more likely to face harsher disciplinary actions than their peers for similar behaviors. This includes higher rates of suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrests.
These disparities are often influenced by implicit bias, where unconscious attitudes and assumptions affect how behavior is interpreted and addressed.
Over time, repeated disciplinary actions can lead to missed instructional time, academic disengagement, and increased risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system.
Many marginalized teens experience higher levels of chronic stress due to factors such as discrimination, economic instability, and unsafe living conditions. These experiences may include exposure to violence, housing insecurity, or family hardship.
Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that prolonged stress, sometimes referred to as toxic stress, can affect brain development, emotional regulation, and overall health.
These outcomes are closely tied to social determinants of health, including access to safe housing, education, and healthcare.
Access to mental health and healthcare services is not equal for all teens. Marginalized youth often face challenges finding care that is culturally responsive and affirming of their identities and experiences.
Common barriers include:
Limited availability of diverse or culturally trained providers
Financial constraints or lack of insurance
Stigma around seeking care
Past negative experiences with healthcare systems
Youth from marginalized communities are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system. They are more likely to be stopped, arrested, and sentenced more harshly than their peers.
Organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund have documented how systemic inequities in school discipline, policing, and community resources contribute to these disparities often described as part of the “school-to-prison pipeline.”
Economic inequality continues to shape access to opportunity for many teens. Marginalized youth are more likely to live in under-resourced communities with limited access to quality education, healthcare, technology, and enrichment opportunities.
Research from the Pew Research Center highlights how poverty can be cyclical, making it difficult for families to achieve long-term economic mobility.
These challenges do not exist in isolation, they are interconnected. Disciplinary bias can increase justice system involvement, while poverty and chronic stress can impact both mental health and academic performance.
By recognizing these patterns, we can work toward more equitable systems that support the well-being, development, and success of all teens.
Since the launch of Project X in 2020.
Youth who stay engaged, overcome barriers, and complete the program with a path forward.
93 youth who may not have completed traditional high school earned their diplomas through alternative pathways with our support.
Approximately 75% of youth in Project X receive hands-on support with job readiness, applications, and securing employment.
Project X is an intensive, community-based intervention program designed for youth who are at the highest risk of justice involvement, school disengagement, and long-term instability.
Through daily, hands-on support, our team works alongside youth to address the real-life barriers that impact their ability to succeed.
Project X serves youth ages 13–20 (18-20 Juvenile Justice only) who are:
Gang-involved or at high risk of gang involvement
Justice-involved or at risk of court involvement
Disengaged from school or at risk of dropping out
Facing instability in housing, family, or basic needs
Project X is not a traditional program. Our work is intensive, flexible, and built around the real lives of the youth we serve.
Daily, in-person engagement, not just scheduled sessions
Transportation provided for school, work, and essential needs
Real-time crisis response and de-escalation
Street outreach when youth cannot be reached
Consistent mentorship that continues even through setbacks
We don’t wait for youth to come to us, we go to them.
Our Multdisciplinary Team is a group of professionals that meets to discuss intervention and case planning needs. The team includes members of various members of agencies that are involved in providing services for our participants. Having a MDT allows us to exchange information in a timely manner to assist youth with successfully meeting their goals. Local agencies include school social workers, mental health professionals, guidance counselors, court counselors, community partners, and more.
Interpersonal Skills Classes provided to youth attending Project X are evidence based. The curriculum provided is a 16 week course that combines Botvin Life Skills and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 2.0 Curriculum. Participants meet in small groups a week for 16 week to practice various life skills. Additionally, all staff are certified to provide trauma informed care while facilitating classes which provides an extra level of care to youth served.
Our Street Outreach Team meets youth where they are, whether that’s at home, at school, in the community, or on the streets. This work goes far beyond traditional programming.
Every day, our team is in the community:
We don’t wait for youth to come to us we go to them.
Each young person works with an Outreach Specialist to set goals and create an individualized plan. But the real impact happens in the day-to-day, through consistent mentorship, accountability, and showing up again and again, even when progress isn’t immediate. Our team also serves as a bridge between youth and the systems they must navigate, schools, courts, employers, and community resources, ensuring they are supported every step of the way.
This is not office-based work. This is real-time, community-based support.
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