CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is seeing a disturbing trend among teens — vehicle thefts. 

The 2023 Mid-Year Public Safety Report reveals juveniles account for 72% of arrests for vehicle thefts. Some of the juveniles were as young as 12. 

The report also states juveniles used stolen vehicles in the commission of other crimes such as robberies and shootings. 

This data is troubling to many youth leaders. 

Firm Foundations Youth & Family Outreach, Inc., supports young people with reaching their fullest potential.

Executive Director Kim Roseboro says the group focuses on the three E’s with youth and families: 

• Educate — We EDUCATE participants by providing knowledge and supporting academics to ensure advancement Educate, Expose and Empower
• Expose — We EXPOSE participants to things that will inspire them to exceed beyond their current situations
• Empower — We EMPOWER participants by providing them with tools, resources and mentoring relationships

“We really focus on building strong relationships with the teens we serve, to empower and encourage them to withstand all the different negative things they come across,” Roseboro said. “[Encourage] them to be productive in society today.”

Roseboro says mentors and positive role models are crucial to a young person’s success. 

“Mentoring is really the impact we’re using,” Roseboro said. 

One of Firm Foundations’ programs is a Summer Bridge Program for students preparing to enter middle school. 

“These are rising sixth graders we are empowering. We have some of our youth leaders that are older students working with this group of teens. They’re getting ready to come into middle school and a lot of them have fears about what that looks like. We wanted to provide a program to ease that anxiety and build them up and prepare them for the different things they’re going to face in middle school,” Roseboro said. 

Roseboro says the data from CMPD showing a high percentage of juvenile crimes was discouraging.

“There’s talk about teens, people thinking negative about the teens,” Roseboro said. “But what are we doing? What are we doing to provide them positive opportunities, programs that are taking place. Let’s get a plan, come together as a community as a whole to support these programs and get involved as mentors. Be a part of the solution and not just look at the stats. Your presence matters.”

Londyn Ragland, 13, is one of the teens in the Firm Foundations program. 

Ragland says the organization is empowering the youth to be successful in all areas of their lives. 

“What I enjoy about it the most is how people are respectful of each other and how they got each other’s back,” Ragland said. 

Firm Foundations is serving youth ages 8-18 in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties. 

Roseboro says the organization is looking for mentors and volunteers to join their team and make an impact in a child’s life.