LYNN — Roca means rock. And helping young people build a solid foundation on lives wrecked by criminal activity, broken families and substance abuse is the goal Roca youth workers hope to accomplish.
Founded more than 30 years ago and active in Lynn for almost five years, Roca is built around youth workers who identify young men and women with lives defined by broken homes, early exits from school, criminal involvement and substance abuse leading to incarceration.
Roca Lynn Assistant Director Emily Fish and her four coworkers use what she called a “relentless outreach” to contact and repeatedly engage men between the ages of 17 and 24 and young mothers to get them involved in Roca programs.
“Even if they say they are not interested, we keep pushing. Our goal is a relationship built on trust,” Fish said.
Roca’s work translates into success: The organization’s 2019 outreach summary states that all Lynn men who have been involved for two years with Roca have stayed out of jail.
Dante Reyes was attending English High School in 2016 when he got in a fight and ended up in court and assigned community service. His service mentor introduced Reyes to Roca.
“At first, I didn’t think it would work,” he said.
His skepticism melted away when he realized the relationships he was building in Roca made up for the lack of guidance he received when he was younger. He got involved in Roca’s transitional employment program and started to think about getting serious with school.
Preparing young men and women for work and helping them back onto an education track are goals achieved only when Roca’s workers help men like Reyes change their behavior.
Roca Executive Director Scott Scharffenberg said workers try to “stop the spin” by focusing on skill sets like “take a pause” and “be present in the moment.”
Fish and Roca Chelsea/Lynn Site Director Joseph Furnari said workers, once they gain a client’s trust and build a relationship, help them change their behavior. Taking a pause for someone who has lived a chaotic, criminally-involved life, can mean short-circuiting a decision to commit an act of homicidal revenge.
“Most of our young people are the first in their family to get arrested. Others have fathers and uncles who have been in jail. A lot have been fending for themselves: Their criminal histories start young,” Fish said.
Lynn resident and youth worker Henry Thai has criss-crossed the city for seven years working to interest youth in Roca. The work is hard but, he said, rewarding. One of his formerly-incarcerated clients is now a homeowner.
“The payoff is when I see them doing well,” Thai said.
Roca workers make a six-month commitment to attempt to reach a young man or woman. If they can build a relationship, the goal is to cement a bond, that, in Reyes’ case, has lasted for years. The Lynn Police Department, the Trial Court system, including probation and juvenile court workers, and mental health professionals are allies in this effort.
“We have a great relationship with Roca. The goal is to keep these troubled youth out of the criminal justice system,” said Lynn Police spokesman Lt. Michael Kmiec.
COVID-19’s onset last March threatened to sever the face-to-face contact crucial to Roca outreach. But Furnari said state officials deemed the organization’s work “essential” and Roca reopened its offices, including one in downtown Lynn, to 50 percent capacity on July 1 with COVID protections in place.
Roca served 105 men in Lynn last year with 90 still involved with youth workers after several months of outreach work.
Fish said the fundamental dynamic at the heart of Roca’s work is recognition that young people “are yearning for connection.” Some have lost that connection with family members and tried to replace it by joining youth gangs.
She said many clients are open to establishing connections with youth workers after leaving jail, experiencing violence or becoming parents.
Substance abuse’s grip on many young lives and the housing loss and joblessness created by the pandemic are newer challenges faced by Roca. But Fish said the strong community connections Roca has built in Lynn in five years has helped youth workers connect with people.
“People know who we are. They’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, my friend did Roca,'” she said.
Roca workers sat with Reyes in 2018 when he met with former Lynn School Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham to state his case for reinstatement into the Lynn public schools.
He got his wish, graduated, and today at the age of 22, he is assessing long-term career goals even as he works for the city of Salem public works department in a job overseen by Roca.
“My message is, focus on yourself,” Reyes said.