At Risk Youth

Working closely with local police agencies, church leaders, and school districts we have been able to reach at-risk-youth who may have otherwise fallen into the gang and drug culture, criminal or anti-social behaviors, poor academic performance, or incarceration.

The at-risk-youth the CDLU has worked with have utilized previously incarcerated and currently incarcerated individuals’ real-life experiences to make better choices and decisions.

The CDLU has supported the formerly incarcerated reintegrate into society after sometimes serving decades in prison.

In 2018, the CDLU, working with numerous advocates, launched a website on Incarceration Reform providing information and tools for families and advocates of the incarcerated.

Several of our program participants have successfully graduated from college and are now living as responsible and law-abiding citizens.

Parallel to this mission, the CDLU is working to elevate low-income and at-risk Latino youth and others by encouraging them to involve themselves in music programs to help reduce feelings related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, un-met needs, and other mood disorders.

This music program model has operated in the poor communities of Saltillo, Mexico for over 25 years, hosting numerous events in conjunction with other organizations.

Teaching music in these poor communities has historically had positive and long-lasting benefits for at-risk youth. Enhanced academic performance and social/emotional development demonstrate how exposure to the arts can help youth succeed in school as well as in life.