A Michigan nonprofit is trying something different with at-risk teenagers. The Mikey 23 Foundation in Lansing just launched Envision, a free mentoring program that pairs teens with judges, former athletes, business owners, and tradespeople. No lectures, no scare tactics. Just relationships with adults who show up.
The program’s kickoff speaker was Derrel Braxton, who served 37 years for a robbery he committed at 18 that left two people dead. He told the teens he thought he had life figured out back then, and how wrong he was. He was released after a 2022 Michigan Supreme Court ruling found life without parole for 18-year-olds to be cruel or unusual punishment. The foundation behind the program was started 10 years ago by Michael McKissic, whose son Mikey was killed by gun violence in August 2015. McKissic has said the old “Scared Straight” model doesn’t work, and that giving kids choices and guidance does.
Here on the Suncoast, we know what it looks like when a community wraps around its young people. Between our retirees, tradespeople, and small business owners, there’s a deep bench of folks with time and hard-earned wisdom to share. Organizers in Lansing say they need more mentors. Could a similar effort take root here? What would it take to get you involved?
