The St. Petersburg Police Department and the St. Petersburg Housing Authority provided counseling and other activities to help local youth learn more about the impacts of violence. The Youth Champions program ran from February to June.
The adolescents were able to visit the Jordan Park Apartments complex (1245 Jordan Park Street South), which is run by the SPHA, and speak with licensed mental health providers one Saturday a month. Additionally, they got to practice yoga and meditation and learn about coping mechanisms.
Another key part of the program was engagement with police officers…