STAR Summit organizers are excited to announce Tydrell Stevens from the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis will be one of the presenters for St. Louis City and County's day focused on reentry efforts in the region. Stevens plans to lead a session called "Tackling the Army of the Unskilled," which will highlight current initiatives by the Save Our Sons program to drive employment opportunities for men, especially those graduating high school and those getting ready for prison release. Stevens has taken charge of the Save Our Sons program since it launched in 2015, when the Urban League studied what resource-deprived communities desired after the shooting of Michael Brown and protests that made national news headlines. Employment was the answer across the board during that time of reflection on how to improve communities.
Stevens says the biggest takeaway from his session at STAR is to remain empathetic to those seeking help to serve them better.
"We understand that we may have individuals come in, looking for a job, and they're frustrated with some of the things they face, especially if they're criminal justice involved, and having so many doors shut on them. It's important to have empathy. If people come in and want to vent, allow them to vent. Understand that they're going through something...It's up to us to uplift them with the courage, hope, resources, and tools for them to actually be successful," Stevens says.
The 2020 STAR Summit on March 18th is sold out, and there will be no walk-in registrations accepted this year. There are plenty of learning opportunities for reentry professionals, including the Missouri Reentry Conference in Lake Ozark, MO from November 4-6, 2020. Follow STLREENTRY on Facebook for updates.