Hidden Heroes: From High-Risk to High-Reward | Jerome Smalls | TEDxCharleston

In order to address youth violence at its core, systems must begin to break silos and start viewing “high-risk” juveniles as the wounded children they are, with limitless potential, in search of a village to belong to. Jerome D. Smalls is a visionary public servant and program strategist from Charleston, SC, committed to transforming systems through empathy, storytelling, and innovation. With a bachelor’s in marketing and a master’s in educational transformation from Georgetown University, Jerome’s career has centered around reimagining how communities empower youth. He has founded storytelling ventures, educator networks, and now leads Charleston’s first wraparound, focused deterrence model for high-risk youth. His philosophy is simple: "Everything in our society was once a figment of someone's imagination. Therefore, any aspect of it can be reimagined..." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx