As reported on milwaukeecourieronline.com, written by Nyesha Stone
Running Rebels Community Organization (RRCO) has been changing the lives of the youth since 1980. Founder and Executive Director Victor Barnett saw the youth of Milwaukee needed more than what they were receiving, so he stepped in. RRCO is a private, non-profit youth agency with the vision to provide positive choices for the youth, according to their website.
RRCO focuses on Milwaukee’s youth that is at-risk from ages eight to nineteen. The organization has three main programs: education, preventative and intensive monitoring, and they all fit under RRCO’s After-School/Summer Program for at-risk youth.
The Education program’s focus is to improve their youth’s academics, while the Preventative program focuses on providing positive activities for the youth. And lastly, the Intensive Monitoring program includes several other programs such as Severe Chronic Offenders programs.
Cortez Johnson joined RRCO after being discovered by Barnett while playing basketball at a park. One of RRCO’s most known preventative programs is their basketball team, which is known for having D1 athletes.
Johnson’s been with RRCO for three years and through the organization he’s been helping the community, feeding the homeless, attending business groups and now he’s one of the newest members of the Milwaukee Youth Council.
“I want to spark the mind of the youth,” said Johnson. “Everybody can be positive they just have to have the right mind to do it.”
