Youth violence prevention, literacy gaps and the role of community mentorship took center stage during a recent interview with Children’s Soar Inc. founder and CEO India Cade discussed the organization’s efforts to support at-risk youth across Atlanta.
Ms. Cade appeared on the program to outline how Children’s Soar Inc. works with young people ages 9 to 18 through education, leadership development and emotional wellness initiatives. The nonprofit operates programs in homeless shelters, juvenile detention facilities and through community partnerships aimed at addressing the root causes of youth disengagement.
Children’s Soar Inc. currently offers a reading and writing program based at the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter on Marietta Street, as well as a leadership program at the Atlanta Youth Development Campus, formerly known as the juvenile detention center in South Fulton. The organization also partners with the AJ Battle Foundation on the Real Me Program, which helps teens learn emotional regulation and healthy coping strategies.
During the interview, Ms. Cade emphasized that many youth involved in the juvenile justice system are responding to their environments rather than acting with criminal intent. She described how repeated exposure to violence, limited parental availability due to work demands and a lack of consistent mentorship can normalize harmful behaviors for children.
“A lot of the boys that we do the program with, a lot of them, they're really just looking for attention,” Ms. Cade said. “They're really just looking for someone to listen to them. And they're really just looking for someone to just show them some love.”
The discussion also highlighted broader trends in Atlanta, where homicide rates have declined in recent years, a shift often attributed to expanded community-based prevention efforts, mentorship programs and youth engagement initiatives. Ms. Cade said sustained progress depends on adults being willing to meet young people where they are and invest time, patience and guidance.
Another major focus of the conversation was literacy and its connection to long-term opportunity. Ms. Cade pointed to low reading proficiency levels among Georgia students, particularly Black fourth graders, as a critical barrier to academic confidence and future success. She explained that many students enter her programs several grade levels behind in reading, even as they hold clear aspirations for careers in sports, music, law or medicine.
Ms. Cade noted that literacy skills extend beyond the classroom and are essential for navigating contracts, higher education and professional environments. She said improving reading comprehension also strengthens critical thinking and communication skills, helping students advocate for themselves and understand complex situations.
Community involvement, she added, is essential to changing outcomes for youth. Ms. Cade stressed that responsibility should not fall solely on parents who may already be stretched thin by economic pressures.
“It's not just on the parent,” she said. “It's on all of us.”
The organization also hosts annual events, including back-to-school drives and community celebrations, aimed at meeting both educational and practical needs.
Listen to the full interview, click the link above.