Youth Mentoring
Healing Trauma, Building Leaders, Strengthening Communities
For more than 30 years, PSR Pennsylvania has provided trauma‑informed, community‑rooted mentoring for young people growing up in under‑resourced urban neighborhoods. Our programs pair consistent adult allies with youth when they are most vulnerable, offering conflict‑resolution skills, leadership training, and pathways into environmental health advocacy. By investing in young minds and the physical spaces they call home, we cultivate the next generation of changemakers.
Why Trauma‑Informed Mentoring Matters
Growing up amid neighborhood violence, poverty, and systemic inequity can expose youth to cumulative trauma. Research shows that chronic stress and repeated exposure to guns or other community violence can lead to post‑traumatic stress symptoms, depression, poorer physical health, and a loss of trust in adults. Positive engagement with trusted mentors—especially programs that are culturally responsive and led by community members—helps restore that trust, fosters resilience, and strengthens a young person’s sense of agency and hope.
Our mentoring framework focuses on three evidence‑based pillars:
1
Trust & Connectedness
Building reliable bonds between youth and caring adults.
2
Safe Environments
Creating physically and emotionally safe spaces for learning and play, including neighborhood beautification and the addition of green spaces that promote healing.
3
Youth Empowerment
Equipping participants with skills in conflict resolution, leadership, and community advocacy so they can actively shape safer, healthier futures.
Since the early 1990s, the Abbotsford‑Falls Peaceful Posse has offered a stable, nurturing environment where boys from Northwest Philadelphia can process trauma, build conflict‑resolution skills, and develop leadership tools. Sessions combine group discussion, peer mentoring, service projects, and exposure to environmental health topics—linking personal wellbeing with community and planetary health.
Flagship Program:
Abbotsford‑Falls Peaceful Posse
85%
Retention
Over 85 % of Posse participants return for multiple sessions.
70%
Academic Engagement
70 % report improved school attendance and performance.
We continually refine our approach through participant feedback, trauma‑informed best practices, and partnerships with researchers studying community‑based violence prevention and resilience.
Measuring Our Impact
Get Involved
Volunteer as a guest speaker, tutor, or activity leader.
Partner with us to expand green‑space projects or provide internship opportunities. Donate to sustain stipends, field trips, and mental‑health resources. Together we can transform trauma into resilience and nurture a generation ready to lead Pennsylvania toward justice, health, and peace.