ST. LOUIS – The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is pushing to expand its Re-route program, a life-changing initiative helping at-risk teens across the metro area.
The Re-route program is currently serving 22 participants and offers over 500 resources for teens, with mentors available around the clock.
“We don’t expect you to be perfect, but these are the things we expect you to be focused on: education, avoiding any more infractions with the law, and being responsible,” James Clark, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ vice president of public safety, said.
The goal is simple yet powerful: ensure these young people graduate high school, get a driver’s license, and secure a job.
The program is a partnership with St. Louis County’s juvenile courts.
“We try to keep them responsible and on track through all the court proceedings until they get adjudicated. Sometimes, the court requests that they remain with us, and sometimes the program will end for the program, but it never ends,” Re-route program Director J. Winslow said.
Parents with children in the program say it’s been a saving grace for their children.
“Knowing they have to communicate every five days makes them stay. Like, ‘Oh, OK, I know they are going to be calling me,’ because they have to stay on top of them to report back to the courts. So, it makes them stay on the right path, and I really appreciate it because I was literally at my end’s wit with my child,” Candice Childress, program participant parent, said.
“Guide them, advise them, and let them know this is not the way perhaps you should approach certain things has helped out tremendously to me,” another parent Larry Smith added.
The program has already made 22 school visits, 68 court appearances, and organized over 400 activities with a remarkable zero percent recidivism rate—none of the teens have reoffended.
“If I need somebody to talk to, I know I can count on them to answer the phone and talk to me,” an anonymous program participant said.
The Urban League aims to expand this program into St. Louis City and East St. Louis, hoping to reach more teens in need of guidance. To learn more about the program, call the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis at 314-615-3600.
