Zavien Robinson was arrested in Philadelphia last year on a charge of gun possession. While being held at the youth detention center, Robinson, then 17, met Mark Johnson-Taylor, coordinator of the Group Violence Intervention Juvenile (GVIJ) program.
GVIJ is a new City effort to redirect youth from lives of violence by providing counseling, therapy, employment assistance, and help completing high school or enrolling in GED programs. Robinson joined GVIJ after meeting Johnson-Taylor. Now, Robinson has completed an internship at a radio station and is slated to earn his high school diploma in May. He credits the program with helping him settle down and begin planning his future.
“It felt like God gave me another chance,” Robinson said. “I ain’t had nothing to do before I joined the program. When I joined, I had stuff to do instead of just going to the streets.”…