For so many youth, especially for those of color in poverty-stricken areas of large cities, the path forward seems like a hopeless one. One obstacle or problem compounds another: joblessness, dysfunctional families, absent fathers, abusive relationships, failure in education, sexual promiscuity, unwanted pregnancy, abuse of and addiction to drugs and alcohol, the obscene amounts of money that can be made by dealing drugs, youth gangs, crime, stints in prison, no fear of God...the list goes on and on.