Four teenagers were honored earlier this week for completing life skills training and goal-setting exercises through the City of Danville’s Project Imagine program. Designed to steer young people away from gang involvement and community violence, the program continues to provide participants with essential tools for personal growth and future success.
This latest group of graduates marks the 31st class to complete Project Imagine, bringing the total number of successful participants to 187 since the program’s inception in 2018. The graduates are Kaidyn Childress, Daon Jones, Raymond Reddick, and Cayedrion Stamps.
During the ceremony on Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Earl Reynolds encouraged the graduates to remain disciplined and resist the temptation to take the easy path in life. “We have a tendency to move toward those things that are easy,” Reynolds said.
He also encouraged the teens to lean on their mentors in the Project Imagine program. “You now have people who will help you move forward.” In their role as outreach workers, Reynolds said the Project Imagine staff will be there to listen and to share their life experiences.
He concluded with a call to action, encouraging the graduates to share what they’ve learned. “Others can use what you know right now. They can use your vision and your dreams. If they see it in you, then they will find hope. They will find the courage to take the step that you have taken.”
Project Imagine equips participants with tools to build productive lives through mentorship, goalsetting, and strength-based assessments using Casey Life Skills and Clifton Strengths tools. These resources help place youths on a path toward achieving goals such as avoiding law enforcement contact, improving grades, completing school, and securing employment.
Each participant is also assigned a dedicated outreach worker who provides mentorship for at least one year.
Under the leadership of Robert David, violence prevention manager for the City of Danville, Project Imagine follows the evidence-based principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. The program fosters a mindset in which participants can visualize—and work toward—a life free from gang involvement and crime.
Teens enter Project Imagine through referrals from law enforcement, the courts, schools, and parents.
David and Project Imagine have received both state and national recognition for their impact. In October, Mentor Virginia named Project Imagine one of five “Champions of Mentoring.” In 2023, David was honored with the Youth Workforce Professional of the Year Award by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. Additionally, he was recognized among the “Top 100 Influencers in Local Government” by Engaging Local Government Leaders in 2022.
David’s efforts in gang prevention earned him the prestigious Frederic Milton Thrasher Award from the National Gang Crime Research Center in 2020. The program itself received the President’s Award from the Virginia Municipal League in 2019.