Justice-involved Black and Brown youth in Philadelphia face constant high-stress pressures that drive risky decisions and deepen system involvement—not because of a lack of motivation, but because many lack practical, real-time skills to recognize and regulate stress before conflict escalates. At the same time, community-based organizations face funding cuts, staff burnout, and limited professional development, leaving both youth and the workforce under chronic stress. Lion’s Story, in collaboration with Youth Empowerment for Advancement Hangout (YEAH Philly), will test whether installing real-time stress regulation, decision-making, agency-building, and identity-based coping skills into the daily operations and policies of a community-based organization can strengthen justice-involved youth and employee outcomes, resulting in a climate of mutual accountability. The pilot also tests whether strengthening staff regulation and decision-making capacity first leads to improved youth outcomes and long-term organizational adoption.
