An organization to help city youth celebrated 20 years of work Wednesday.
Pathways to Peace engages youth on the streets in the City of Rochester, helping them find alternatives to violence.
Commissioner with the City Department of Recreation and Youth, Danielle Lyman-Torres, says it’s a boots on the ground effort, all about building relationships.
"It’s those relationships that when things get tough, youth and families rely on those relationships and reach out. That informality, the informalness of it really makes it more familiar."
She says they’ve only seen interest grow since beginning, for these kinds of services
"The demand for Pathways to be a part of things in the community, whether it even just be a festival, has definitely increased, and we definitely have much more work to go. We've transitioned into supporting schools."
Pathways to Peace was started by Former Mayor Bill Johnson.