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SEE IT
40%
of young people say they grew up without ever having a mentor.
67%
remember needing one and not having one.
For more than two decades, Urban Specialists has helped repair the damage after violence, trauma and incarceration have taken hold. Now we’re moving upstream: build strong youth today so we don’t repair broken men tomorrow.
Seeing it is only the first step.
Here’s how we close the gap, one young person at a time.
HEAL IT
Reveal to Heal Circles™
Creating safe, honest spaces for young people and adults to unmask buired trauma and begin real healing.
BE IT
VIP Mentoring™
Trusted, trained mentors who give young people consistent guidance, encouragement and accountability, or virtually or in person.
GROW IT
SuperSeed Paths
Turning potential into plans through education, careers, trades and entrepreneurship.
3 WAYS IN.
1 GOAL.
Circles help young people heal. Pathways help them grow.
But what holds it all together is a steady adult who shows up, and keeps showing up.
Whether you’re raising a child who needs that adult, or you could be that adult, this is where it starts.
You don't have to be both parents.
Raising a child on your own, or with a dad who’s away, is heavy. A mentor adds a steady, encouraging voice to your child’s week, and because mentoring is virtual, distance is never the barrier.
Sign Up to Find your Child a Mentor
Sign Up to Join 1 Million Mentors
You don't have to be a father or perfect.
Coaches, teachers, pastors, counselors, dads, veterans, business leaders and men with a story to tell: if you’re ready to show up for a young person, we’ll help you do it well.
It started with a book,
and a mentor
Everything above comes from one story and a book that gives it the tools to work.
Understanding the Crisis of Fatherlessness in Urban America tells how a single mentor changed Antong Lucky’s life, why presence matters, and the thinking behind Reveal to Heal, VIP Mentoring and SuperSeed Solutions.
Understand what your child may be carrying and how to help.
Learn how to show up well from people who have lived it.
Written by three voices:
Antong Lucky, who lived it; Willie Fleming Jr., the mentor who helped change it; and Taran McGowen, M.A., LPC-S, who explains it clinically.
Co-Author & Community Leader
Antong Lucky
Author, Dallas community leader, and violence-prevention advocate with over two decades of experience helping youth break cycles of gang involvement and incarceration.
Co-Author & Youth Advocate
Willie Fleming Jr.
Author, mentor, and advocate focusing on personal transformation, faith, and breaking intergenerational cycles of trauma.
Clinical Contributor & Counselor
Taran McGowen, M.A., LPC-S
Licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma, identity, attachment, and relational healing.
Written by three voices:
Antong Lucky, who lived it; Willie Fleming Jr., the mentor who helped change it; and Taran McGowen, M.A., LPC-S, who explains it clinically.