Roca

Community Violence Intervention is critical, lifesaving work wherever it's practiced. But CVI workers in many regions don't often have access to training and professional development that could make their work more effective, sustainable, and safe.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with the Roca Impact Institute to shift that dynamic. Together, we've just wrapped up a series of trainings across 6 states, training and coaching 129 workers on the frontlines of violence in Rewire CBT: evidence-backed skills for disrupting trauma and changing behavior.

When practitioners from this many cities, programs, and contexts come together (68 agencies participated in total), it creates a community of practice where ideas, strategies, and effective tools for disrupting violence can spread.

Sometimes being a good neighbor is as simple as showing up right when a small setback could turn into a crisis.

This Good Neighbor Day, we're partnering with NeighborShare to help everyday generosity reach real neighbors in our community exactly when it matters most.

See what your neighbors need: https://hubs.la/Q04yqrzZ0

Congratulations to the graduates of the Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute cohort #2, in partnership with the Philadelphia Office of Public Safety, and welcome to cohort #3, who will soon begin their intensive training!

Homicides in Philly and across the country have been dropping steadily since 2021, in part due to the rise of Community Violence Intervention. That's good news, but it doesn't reduce the weight on frontline workers, who work every day with individuals at the center of violence.

To keep those numbers going down we need a sustainable, well-trained workforce, prepared for the trauma and complexity of the job and given the tools to navigate it. That future gets closer with every cohort trained by the Philadelphia Peacekeepers Institute.

Thank you to the City of Philadelphia OPS for including Roca on this exciting new initiative.

We were thrilled to welcome the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate to Roca on Monday. Together, we had a meaningful conversation about what we're seeing every day with our young mothers, transition-age youth, and all of our young people. The OCA also spent time hearing directly from Roca participants about their experiences and how they can be best supported.

Thank you again to the OCA for years of incredible partnership and your commitment on behalf of young people in Massachusetts. We were honored to host you.

A donor advised fund is one of the best ways to level up your giving — like a 401k for your philanthropy. Donors can contribute to their DAF and then make grants to the causes they care about over time, letting you invest tax-free and helping you set goals for giving and stay accountable — while you take the tax benefits of donating up front.

DAF Day is October 8, when people everywhere are increasing the impact of their donor advised funds by giving together, and Roca's excited to be part of it.

Don't have a DAF yet? It's not too late to open one in time for DAF Day. Learn more and find verified DAF providers at https://hubs.la/Q04xTmvF0.

🔗 Learn how to give: https://hubs.la/Q04xTmt60

Meet us at Gillette Stadium this Saturday, September 19, for Noche Latina e Hispana with the New England Revolution!

Hit the Fan Zone before the game for a celebration of Latin culture, music, dance, and more starting at 5:00pm.

Come say hi to Roca while you're there! We'll be sharing information on our work with the community's highest-risk young people and how you can get involved.

Roca is so excited to be part of this special evening once again. Go Revs!

Tickets to a boxing match can mean more than just a night out. It can be a chance for young men to feel normal and let their guards down instead of always looking over their shoulders—and an opportunity for Roca Youth Workers to build trust and connection.

Thank you to the Plain Jaine Foundation and Ian Pineda for making this night possible!

If you have a DAF, October 8 is your chance to join a nationwide wave of generosity through Donor-Advised Funds.

Every grant recommended through your DAF helps another young person break free from trauma and learn to live beyond violence.

Change is possible when we give together.

📅 Save the date - DAF Day is Thursday, October 8, 2026
🔗 Learn how to give: https://hubs.la/Q04xw-W-0

When an artist as big as Colombian superstar Karol G talks about gender-based violence, it changes who's in the room for to listen.

At every stop of her international tour, KaRoL G and the Con Cora Foundation are highlighting local organization working to disrupt gender-based violence, and we're honored they chose to feature Roca this past Saturday.

The partnership put Roca's Young Women's Program center stage in front of tens of thousands of fans, while Roca staff educated concert goers about gender-based violence, trafficking, and the resources available to survivors, and 25 Roca young women got a once-in-a-lifetime experience backstage as guests of the tour.

The young women in our program have spent their whole lives being overlooked, but this partnership brought real visibility—to their unique struggles navigating violence, trafficking, and exploitation, and to the gender-responsive interventions that help them succeed.

We believe this.

Healing starts with a pause: the moment someone can step back, see that another option even exists, and choose it for themselves.

Roca is proud to be a women-led organization, working alongside young people — including young women who have experienced violence, trauma and exploitation — as they build greater agency over their lives and their futures.

Seeing the choice isn't, alone, the work. But, it's where the work begins.