Why Are We Stalking You? To Keep You Out of Jail | Molly Baldwin | TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue

What does it take to keep America’s young men from going to jail again and again? Roca, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, helps hundreds of very high-risk young people stay out of harm’s way and go to work. Those young people say that Roca is a pain in the ass and “like that annoying fly that never goes away,” and Molly Baldwin, Roca’s founder and CEO, agrees. She suggests that if we want to see any change happening for these young men, we should start by changing ourselves first.

Molly Baldwin is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roca, Inc. A graduate of UMass, Amherst, Molly began her professional life as a street worker and community organizer, and soon founded Roca in 1988.

For over twenty-eight years, she has been a tireless advocate, mentor, and community convener, reaching out to the highest-risk young people from Massachusetts’ most dangerous urban communities, and bringing together the major institutions, corporations, and agencies that affect these young people’s lives. With the help of engaged institutions and Roca’s committed staff, Molly’s efforts at Roca have helped thousands of young people make positive and profound changes in their lives.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx