Participant’s Journey in the Intervention Model
Transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Our decades of data show that violence-involved young people need 18–24 months to make lasting changes, and the most profound reductions in violence and recidivism show up after three years of intensive services.
Three Years With Roca
Referral
Our partners across the system and in the community help us find young adults and adolescents at acute, elevated risk of violence. We reach them at critical moments in their lives—often right after they get shot, or when they come home from jail.
Day 1Relentless outreach begins
We track young people down through their friends, call them, show up at their doorsteps, and scout the streets until we find them.
Build transformational relationships
Each young person is paired with a Youth Worker who will be their mentor and guide for the next 3 years, making sure they don't fall through the cracks.
Introduce Rewire CBT
Youth Workers start teaching cognitive-behavioral skills right from day one.
Relapse is a crucial moment of learning which usually comes early in the change process. When a participant slips back into old, unsafe habits and stops showing up to Roca, we ramp up our relentless outreach until they come back and try again.
RelapseMeet Basic Needs
We help young people get out of crisis mode, whether that means getting them into stable housing, providing diapers and formula for their kids, or coordinating case management across multiple public systems.
Focus on Rewire CBT
Rewire CBT is the key to young people’s behavior change: a non-clinical form of cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses their trauma and helps them pause and think before making potentially devastating choices. Opportunities to practice CBT skills are built into every part of Roca’s program.
Teach Workforce Readiness
By 12–18 months, most young people learn the basics of how to get and keep a job, plus crucial skills like computer literacy and drivers ed. At the same time, they build the emotional skills to keep their cool and stick it out when work gets stressful.
Transitional Employment
Roca's Transitional Employment Program is a behavior change accelerator where participants earn real wages for real work in a safe environment. They practice essential skills, fail, and come back to try again.
After 18 Months with Roca
Teach Life Skills
By 18–24 months, most young people complete our life skills curriculum designed to get them ready for independence: from healthy habits and harm reduction to parenting and financial literacy.
Bridge to Success
The Bridge to Success (B2S) program offers young people quick job placements with forward-thinking employers, beginning with a trial period where their wages are subsidized by Roca, so they can be judged by their skills instead of their pasts. Alternatively, participants can enter vocational training like HVAC or Automotive Repair.
Permanent Job Placement
If young people don’t want to stay with their B2S employer long term, we coach them through every step of finding the right job: from writing their resume and filling out the application, to prepping for the interview.
Sustaining Behavior Change
Real, lasting change takes practice, so Youth Workers continue to work intensively with young people, helping them use the cognitive-behavioral skills they’ve learned to overcome challenges and continue being the people they want to be: keeping their jobs, staying out of jail, and being good parents to their kids.
Complete Core Programming
Young people who haven’t yet completed our Workforce Readiness and Life Skills courses make one final push to finish up. For those who want to go even further, we offer GED classes and professional certifications to level up their future careers.
After 3 Years with Roca
Graduation
Young people celebrate how far they’ve come and walk forward into a life beyond poverty, beyond incarceration, and beyond violence.
Day 1
Referral
Our partners across the system and in the community help us find young adults and adolescents at acute, elevated risk of violence. We reach them at critical moments in their lives—often right after they get shot, or when they come home from jail.
Relentless outreach begins
We track young people down through their friends, call them, show up at their doorsteps, and scout the streets until we find them.
Build transformational relationships
Each young person is paired with a Youth Worker who will be their mentor and guide for the next 3 years, making sure they don't fall through the cracks.
Introduce Rewire CBT
Youth Workers start teaching cognitive-behavioral skills right from day one.
Relapse
Relapse is a crucial moment of learning which usually comes early in the change process. When a participant slips back into old, unsafe habits and stops showing up to Roca, we ramp up our relentless outreach until they come back and try again.
6 Months
Meet Basic Needs
We help young people get out of crisis mode, whether that means getting them into stable housing, providing diapers and formula for their kids, or coordinating case management across multiple public systems.
Focus on Rewire CBT
Rewire CBT is the key to young people’s behavior change: a non-clinical form of cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses their trauma and helps them pause and think before making potentially devastating choices. Opportunities to practice CBT skills are built into every part of Roca’s program.
12 Months
Teach Workforce Readiness
By 12–18 months, most young people learn the basics of how to get and keep a job, plus crucial skills like computer literacy and drivers ed. At the same time, they build the emotional skills to keep their cool and stick it out when work gets stressful.
Transitional Employment
Roca's Transitional Employment Program is a behavior change accelerator where participants earn real wages for real work in a safe environment. They practice essential skills, fail, and come back to try again.
18 Months
After 18 Months with Roca
Teach Life Skills
By 18–24 months, most young people complete our life skills curriculum designed to get them ready for independence: from healthy habits and harm reduction to parenting and financial literacy.
Bridge to Success
The Bridge to Success (B2S) program offers young people quick job placements with forward-thinking employers, beginning with a trial period where their wages are subsidized by Roca, so they can be judged by their skills instead of their pasts. Alternatively, participants can enter vocational training like HVAC or Automotive Repair.
21 Months
Permanent Job Placement
If young people don’t want to stay with their B2S employer long term, we coach them through every step of finding the right job: from writing their resume and filling out the application, to prepping for the interview.
24 Months
Sustaining Behavior Change
Real, lasting change takes practice, so Youth Workers continue to work intensively with young people, helping them use the cognitive-behavioral skills they’ve learned to overcome challenges and continue being the people they want to be: keeping their jobs, staying out of jail, and being good parents to their kids.
Complete Core Programming
Young people who haven’t yet completed our Workforce Readiness and Life Skills courses make one final push to finish up. For those who want to go even further, we offer GED classes and professional certifications to level up their future careers.
36 Months
After 3 Years with Roca
Graduation
Young people celebrate how far they’ve come and walk forward into a life beyond poverty, beyond incarceration, and beyond violence.
