Redemption is defined as “the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil” In order to pursue redemption one must persevere through their hardships in order to become a changed person. This story of transformation is as old as recorded history, yet these stories still have the ability to inspire us to change for the better. The story of Philadelphia native Tyrique Glasgow is one too familiar to citizens across Philadelphia. Tyrique grew up in the Point Breeze neighborhood of the city. As a youth, Tyrique became involved in the drugs and violence that plagued his neighborhood. Tyrique’s involvement was due to the normalcy of these activities and not having an outlet to express his frustrations with his upbringing. Soon Tyrique became “the man” in his neighborhood that could get whatever anyone needed to numb their physical and mental pain. This attention gave Tyrique a feeling of belonging and fed his ego to the point where it became out of control. Soon karma came to collect a debt with Tyrique and he was shot 11 times and sent to prison for 5 years. The event changed his entire perspective on life and when he was released from prison he vowed to redeem himself and help chance the neighborhood in which he was raised.
Tyrique was on a mission once he returned home to break the stereotype that accompanies neighborhoods with bad histories. He wanted to prove to the community that people can change and if the community comes together, they can claim what belongs to them. His message to the community is to flip the victim narrative into one of using your hardships as a means for self empowerment. This led Tyrique to create the Young Chances Foundation The organization, located at 2703 Tasker Street, is playing it’s part to transform the community that once normalized drugs and violence when Tyrique was a youth, into something that will leave it’s citizens inspired to look out for one another. Tyrique, when speaking about the youth in his community said, “If they want to be somebody, this is a place where it can happen. A lot of time you look in the mirror, ‘Why me, why do I have to go through this?’ Why not? Why not be in this situation and pull yourself out? Why not be the one to show somebody that it’s possible?” The Foundation is completely community ran and they are doing their part to live up to the ancient saying “it takes a village to raise a child’ My students and I recently had the opportunity to volunteer for the opening of the foundation. We were able to witness first hand the conclusion of Tyrique’s redemption arc by the outpouring of love from community members. Listen to our podcast interview with Tyrique, at the top of this page, to get the full story of his life. Be sure to check out our volunteer video below from the grand opening of the Young Chances Foundation below. If you want to volunteer with the foundation you can email them at youngchancesfoundation@gmail.com