A safe haven for Philly teens to get them off the streets
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Many activists across the city are fighting back against the violence making it their mission to provide teens a safe haven off the streets.
On the heels of another mass shooting where seven people including 5 teens were injured in the city's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood perhaps no one is more frustrated than Rickey Duncan.
"The violence is so overwhelming that you don't hear the good stories, all we are hearing about is the bad things," Duncan said.
He has been fighting to provide teens a safe haven for more than 10 years.
Duncan is the executive director of NOMO, which stands for New Options More Opportunities.
"Creating more safe spaces, creating more opportunities for them to be able to do different, things other than being on a corner where shots may be fired on the local blocks," he said.
As more teens become victims of gun violence, NOMO is now expanding to more areas of the city.
At its West Philly location on Lancaster Avenue, Duncan is opening a brand-new resource and community center, affordable hair care options and housing for underprivileged youth.
"We have co-op spaces down here," Dunan said. "We have a computer lab at the end of it so you can do resume writing."
"I've been down the wrong path just being around people I wasn't supposed to be around," Deja Woodson, a visitor at the center, said.
She is now 19 and a dance teacher at West Philly High with big dreams.
Five years ago, her mother found NOMO, a new option other than the street and a program she now says changed the course of her life.
"I wouldn't be dancing as much as I do now if it wasn't for NOMO," Woodson said. "I wouldn't be living here if it wasn't for NOMO."
Duncan says NOMO is providing life-skills training, mentorship and a path for a better tomorrow.
"Our mission is this: Early initiative, intervention, and prevention," he said.
NOMO plans to open a brand-new space at the beginning of March.
If you want more information on how you can get involved, visit NOMO's website or check out their Instagram profile.