Ceasing the Circle from Cell to Street

January 22, 2013

By Kaitlin Weiss
NLU Alumni Magazine

According to the Department of Justice, juveniles incarcerated in state delinquent centers face a 55 percent chance of re-arrest, and 1 in 3 juvenile offenders will end up back in incarceration.  NLU alumnus Ron Brashear is looking to reverse those statistics.

The Youth of Honor Foundation, founded by Ron Brashear in July of 2006, is focusing on juvenile recidivism in the Atlanta, Ga. area. Looking to make a long-term, constructive impact on young adults who have been released back into society after being in the juvenile justice system, Youth of Honor strives to make every young person feel as though they are a valuable and productive person.

“These young people are capable of becoming giants in life,” Ron said. “There was a time when you heard the word ‘at risk’ and it only applied to a certain pocket of youth. Given what the youth of today are exposed to, far beyond what we were exposed to when we were growing up, practically all of today’s kids are at-risk.”

Ron, who struggled himself as a young person, now spends his life working with his Personal You-Turn program. This curriculum allows Ron to share his story and bring real-life examples of how students can create their own course in life.

“What I hope to be is a beacon of hope and share with youth my troubled past. I want to share with them how I was able to turn my life around and I hope that they will do the same thing,” Ron said.

The Youth of Honor Foundation houses other programs such as the Be A Giant program and the Get YOH Jump On Life 10 Step Program. The mission of the foundation is clear in each of these curriculums. They provide youth with collaborative learning atmospheres where young people hold themselves accountable for their success.

“As I learned as an adult, success lies in your preparation,” Ron said, “I didn’t apply myself in school. That was one of the biggest mistakes I made.”

For Ron, his troubled past has only guided him to where he stands today – as founder and president of Youth of Honor, motivational speaker, philanthropist, author, and inspiration to struggling youth everywhere.

Read more from the Winter 2013 NLU Alumni Magazine

Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    (888) 658.8632
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  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    (888) 658.8632
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  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (888) 658.8632
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  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    (888) 658.8632
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  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    (888) 658.8632
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  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of the city's major business districts, NLU's Florida Regional Center serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to six classrooms, this location features a conference room, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access, an extensive research library and comfortable student lounges.

    5110 Eisenhower Boulevard Suite 102
    Tampa, FL 33634
    (800) 366.6581
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  • WISCONSIN

    NLU's Milwaukee campus has a proud history of serving graduate students in education in southeastern Wisconsin. Nearly one in five certified Wisconsin teachers looks to NLU for graduate education programs – more than any other university in the state. In addition to classrooms with high-tech media equipment, the campus offers a state-of-the-art computer lab with wireless Internet access and an extensive IDS research library.

    12000 West Park Place, Suite 100
    Milwaukee, WI 53224-3007
    (414) 577.2658
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