Built on love. Driven by purpose. Rooted in Rome, Georgia.
The Kickback was created because young people in our community were being asked the wrong question. Instead of "What's wrong with you?" we started asking "What happened, what do you need, and how can we help you build your future?"
A note from our founder.
I grew up watching brilliant kids get treated like problems. Kids with real trauma, real gifts, and real futures — but with adults around them who couldn't see past the surface. The Kickback exists because I refused to keep watching that happen.
Our job isn't to fix teens. It's to see them clearly, love them consistently, and give them what most of us needed at that age — a trusted adult, a safe place, and a real shot.
If you're a teen reading this: you're not too much, and you're not too late. If you're a parent, mentor, sponsor, or neighbor: welcome to the family.
— Founder, The Kickback Youth Initiative
Where we are, and where we're going.
Mission
To give young people a safe place to belong, trusted mentors who believe in them, and opportunities to build a future through love, guidance, structure, accountability, and purpose.
Vision
A generation of Rome-Georgia young people who grow up loved, prepared, employed, and leading the next chapter of our community.
Ten words we live by.
Love
We lead with warmth. Every teen matters, every day.
Loyalty
We stay. Consistency is our first promise.
Guidance
Trusted adults who listen first, then coach.
Discipline
Structure that builds strength, not shame.
Family
We include the whole household, not just the teen.
Purpose
Everything we do points toward a bigger future.
Education
Learning inside school and far beyond it.
Opportunity
Doors that used to feel closed — opened.
Respect
For self, for others, for the community.
Growth
Progress over perfection. Always.
Trauma-informed. Youth-centered. Accountability without shame.
Trauma-informed
We understand that behavior is communication. We respond to what young people carry, not just what they show.
Youth-centered
Teens co-design their goals. They lead service projects. Their voice sets the tone.
Accountability with dignity
Structure and clear expectations — held with warmth, never with humiliation.