Roca

05/31/2026

At Roca, when we decide we need to learn something, we go all in. We reach out to anyone who might know more than we do. We listen, we ask questions — and if we find someone who can really teach us, we stay with them.

That's how we met Nic McKinley, who has become a true partner in helping us use AI to strengthen this work through his tech company, Ten Point Data.

With AI we are developing an international model for community mental health work—an approach that can help people understand their emotions, develop agency, and begin to heal.

05/27/2026

Inspired by real experiences inside the criminal legal system, Sounds Like Trouble to Me by author and prison reform advocate Jean Troustine, is a powerful read about justice-impacted women.

Last week at the More Than Wordsbookstore, Troustine came together with a Roca participant who has returned from the criminal justice system and Roca staff specializing in re-entry for an afternoon of storytelling and real conversation about justice, survival, and transformation.

05/22/2026

Roca graduate and sexual abuse advocate Susan Ulrich at Roca's Annual Breakfast: "Young people need support from people who understand that change is not linear, that relapse is not failure, and that showing up again and again matters."

05/18/2026

Susan Ulrich first came to Roca at 16 as a Southie Survivor grappling with high rates of drugs, violence, and death in her community. After completing the program as a participant, she came back to us as a staff member and eventually joined our Board of Directors to show other young people what's possible.

Today Susan is on her own journey, helping victims of sexual abuse and catastrophic injuries fight against systems that are stacked against them as a Partner at Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel. We couldn't be prouder of who she's become, and it was an honor to welcome her back home at Roca's Annual Breakfast.

05/18/2026

Community Violence Intervention takes many forms—Congratulations to Virginia on this important step towards increased public safety.

VICTORY! Governor of Virginia Abigail Spanberger signed a historic slate of over 20 gun violence prevention bills into law, including a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

For over a decade, our volunteers have laid the groundwork for progress on gun safety in Virginia — the NRA’s home state. Now, they’re leading the fight with former Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America volunteers representing 20% of the House Democratic Majority, and the governor herself!

We’ll keep fighting for an America where everyone can live free from the threat of weapons of war in our schools, our grocery stores, our places of worship, or anywhere in our communities.

05/16/2026

The entire Commonwealth thrives when we invest in our communities! Thank you State Senator Sal DiDomenico for your dedication to reducing poverty and creating access and opportunity for all.

05/15/2026

A big thank you to the Harvard University students studying "Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Social Good" who selected Roca for their Social Good class grant — and to The Philanthropy Lab for educating young people about the importance of giving and making this donation possible!

05/14/2026

At Roca, we work with more than 300 young women across Massachusetts each year.

We’ve sat with young women grieving partners lost to gun violence. Young mothers trying to protect their children while navigating abuse, instability, and trauma. Women carrying guns because they don’t feel safe without them--and risking everything in the process.

We’ve seen guns hidden in diaper bags and strollers. We’ve seen young women take charges for partners and lose custody of their children. We’ve lost young mothers to gun violence.

These stories are often missing from how we talk about public safety.

But gun violence is also a women’s safety issue, a maternal health issue, and a domestic violence issue.

As Mass considers new legislation that would keep gun manufacturers accountable, the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence invited Roca's EVP of Women & 2Gen, Sunindiya Bhalla, alongside leaders from GIFFORDS and We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project, to the State House to advocate for policies that reflect reality.

05/13/2026

Roca knocked on Da'Wan's door after his street mentor was shot and killed, asking what he needed to get his life in order and stop running the streets — and stopping the cycle of retaliation in its tracks.

This kind of targeted intervention is an important factor driving gun violence in Baltimore down farther and faster than in any other American city. When we treat urban violence as a public health crisis —one that can be treated with behavioral health tools, stable, housing, and employment services — we see incredible results.

Read more about Da'Wan's and the forces driving peace in Baltimore Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine: https://hubs.la/Q04gtTq90

05/12/2026

Last week at Roca's Annual Breakfast, hundreds of leaders in the public and private sectors leaned in to some of the hardest challenges facing young people and communities right now.

Susan Ulrich and Nic McKinley showed us what it looks like to be more than just a statistic; to let your past push you to fight for to fight for other survivors, and shape emerging technology to transform lives.

Special guests State Representative Aaron Michlewitz and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll emphasized the importance of support for the highest-risk young people at every level of government.

We recognized Goulston & Storrs for their relentless pro bono partnership over two decades, which has quietly enabled so much of Roca's lifesaving work.

And most importantly, we heard directly from young people whose lives have changed in profound ways—not because their journeys were easy, but because someone kept showing up, believed change was possible, and didn’t give up on them. As Vichey Phoung Award recipient Moya Lindsay reminded us: “sometimes all it takes is one opportunity, one program, one person to believe in you to completely change your path.”

Thank you to everyone who joined with us in solidarity, and special thanks to our Annual Breakfast sponsors, whose support makes it possible for Roca to continue to learn, adapt, and push forward.