MILWAUKEE – As Milwaukee continues to grapple with an increase in violent crime and homicides in the city, one organization is taking time to connect with young people and make sure they’re on a path for success.
“”At Operation DREAM, we believe that when there is positive influence in a young person’s life, it often is a true deterrent to them getting involved in delinquency,” Marco Morrison, Executive Director at Operation DREAM, said.
What is Operation DREAM?
“Operation DREAM, at it’s core, is a mentoring and workforce development program which services young men of color throughout the city of Milwaukee,” Morrison said.
“Our ages range from serving boys of color as young as four years old and as old as 24-years-old.”
Why work with kids as young as four?
“We truly believe that the most critical aspect, or critical point of impact, for our young men is really when they’re younger,” Morrison said.
“A lot of programs might choose to serve young men at the teenage level, but often times we realize that trying to meet them at that juncture in their life can be difficult, or sometimes impossible.”
Morrison says mentoring is perhaps the most impactful thing they offer at Operation DREAM.
“It’s not just about supporting our young men as they grow and develop into adults, but it’s about providing support to the families we serve as well,” Morrison said.
“About 97 percent of our young men come from single-mother households, so for them to have a man of color who looks like them and who has come from the same community as them but was able to make it out and develop the grit and determination to succeed, is at the core, the most important thing we can provide them.”
You can listen to Marco’s entire interview with WTMJ’s Alex Crowe in the player at the top of the page.