One of the best parts of being part of the running community is that, by doing something we enjoy, we get to help support important causes. We thought we’d take the opportunity to get to know some of these causes behind the run.
This year, our timing team added a new race to its roster: Outrun Violence, in support of Project X.
Project X, part of the Youth Collaborative, is the passion project of founders Kayla Steele—director of operations and race director for Outrun Violence—and Terra Lataille, executive director. The group serves youth ages 13-17 in Forsyth County who are in gangs or at risk of joining a gang. There are no other Juvenile Crime Prevention Programs in the county whose focus is youth is gangs.
Steele’s compassion and determination to see people have a chance to heal have directed a diverse career. She has worked with refugees and survivors of human trafficking. She then shifted to working with young people who were low or medium risk. But she and Lataille both found that there was a gap in services for high-risk youth, so they decided to pursue this work. For young people whose only other option would be juvenile detention, this is a lifeline.
Project X offers an all-encompassing approach for the 80-90 kids they work with, based on the OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) model. This includes one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, assistance with obtaining and maintaining employment, interpersonal skills and participation in prosocial activities. The goal is no recidivism, and their success rate is high for those youth who stick with the program for 6-12 months.
“The longer they’re with us, the better they do,” says Steele.
They know that it’s an uphill battle for these kids, some of whom are following parents into gang life, so the staff remembers to celebrate small wins. The program allows youth to create their own goals and work toward them and it provides participants with positive interactions, sometimes the only ones they have. Additionally, Project X works to improve collaboration with local agencies to reduce gang involvement and violence.
An inclusive community
So why did the team decide to host a 5K race?
First of all, they needed a fundraiser. “What to get alternative funding for our program,” says Steele. “In order to qualify for other funding, we have to match 30%.”
Running appealed to Steele and Lataille because running is such an inclusive activity.
“It doesn’t require a lot of money, just shoes,” Steele says. “For us, it just clicked.”
And the running community itself was inclusive and welcoming. “We got lots of support,” Steele says. “It was incredible.”
Meagan from Fiddlin’ Fish invited Steele to their Monday night runs to share the event and make connections. They hoped they’d attract between 75 and 100 runners for the race and ended up with 81. They got new followers and supporters from the event and local businesses have reached out to offer sponsorships for the future.
And while the Project X youth didn’t participate this year—“It was a little early for them!” Steele jokes—they felt the support.
“They know how people view them, what kind of reputation they have,” notes Steele. “And when they see that people are coming to run for them, they feel it.”
The Youth Collaborative is planning to hold this race again next year, so stay tuned for details and the date in case you’d like to add this to your race calendar.