Lifelong Impact: Joshua, Mehki, and Nate Reflect on Youth Horizons

For decades, Youth Horizons has been a space of hope, safety and support for children and young teens navigating the foster care system. But the impact of its programs and relationships doesn’t end when the children leave its care. In a powerful new video, three men—Joshua, Mehki, and Nate—share how their time with Youth Horizons continues to shape their lives as adults.

Joshua: Still Building a Foundation for Success

Joshua’s journey with Youth Horizons began at the young age of 13 when he was escaping an abusive home life by repeatedly running away, eventually landing in juvenile detention. “My experience with Youth Horizons is that they really worked with people and the kids,” Joshua shares. “They weren’t just going to give up. They weren’t just going to push you on.”

Now 26, Joshua spent time in the military after graduating from the Youth Horizons program. His relationship with his biological family remains volatile, but he continues to pursue a better opportunities – supported by several ongoing develpmental relationships with adult mentors he met within our organization. 

Mehki: Strength Through Resilience

Mehki joined Youth Horizons as a teenager after years of instability and a disfunctional family, not having met his biological mom until he was 12 or 13. At Youth Horizons, he found a stable home environment that taught him the value of resilience and accountability. “I was blessed to have people really look after me. Some people don’t have that.” Mehki says. “Every time I’d go over there (back to gangs, criminality), I had good people, and I would even say God, looking out for me and steering me back.”

Still in his early 20s, Mehki is still deep in the beginnings of his journey to adulthood. His life story to date is one of heartbreak, growth, and perseverance. He knows that every time he was brought back onto a better path with a mentor who invested and poured into him, it “reminded me of what I have, what I still have to lose, what I have in my heart and my mind,” he explains. “And I still keep in contact with him to this day.”

Nate: Lifelong Relationships

For Nate, the most enduring gift of Youth Horizons has been the relationships. “I have to be grateful and humble that I received a gift that not everybody gets,” he shares. “And I messed it up, you know. I was kicked out of the program, and all of the benefits of having access to relationships like that should have been severed when I made the decision to sever it. That’s not what happened. That’s not what I experienced”

Nate, now 40 years old, was at our very first boy’s group home, The Martin House. He was also the first boy accepted to Youth Horizons direct from the judiciary system. The transition from juvenile detention to Youth Horizons is a relatively common practice now, but our earliest kids came only through private referrals – most often their own parents.

The Ripple Effect of Developmental Relationships

The stories of Joshua, Mehki, and Nate highlight the lasting impact of Youth Horizons’ mission to foster developmental relationships. These connections—grounded in trust, encouragement, and accountability—extend far beyond childhood, shaping the men and women these children become.

Youth Horizons is more than a program; it’s a lifelong community. For Joshua, Mehki, Nate, and countless others, it’s a place where hope takes root and resilience grows. And as these men continue to pay forward the support they received, the ripple effect of Youth Horizons’ work reaches generations yet to come.

To learn more about Youth Horizons and how you can support its mission, visit youthhorizons.net.