About

Reverend Leon Kelly established a community-based nonprofit organization in 1988, responding to the alarming number of youths involved in violent deaths.

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Our Mission & Vision

Our Mission

Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives (ODYGA) mission is to provide education, sustained resources, and life-altering relationships within the communities affected by gang culture by providing alternative gang intervention services.

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Our Vision

The vision is for a community educated on the signs involving gang recruitment and gang violence using communal participation to reduce crime.

Our Goal

To address the gang epidemic, Open Door is committed to implementing comprehensive intervention, prevention, and suppression strategies within at-risk inner-city communities. By proactively engaging with these communities and offering support through various programs and initiatives, we aim to create safer environments and brighter futures.

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After 41 years of service, a new dynamic requires immediate attention. In the early 1980s, the average age of gang-related shootings resulting in death was ages 17-24 years old. Today the average age of youth gang violence resulting in death is early as ages 12-17 years old.

This epidemic requires an innovative approach to curve violence and encourage positive environments and activities. We must implement intervention, prevention, and suppression strategies within the inner-city at-risk communities.

“Adult and older gang members are becoming more sophisticated. They realize that young members don’t have the same severe consequences as they do. The guns are handed off to the younger kids. “

– Rev. Leon Kelly

Who We Are

Our Team & Leadership

The founder and staff experienced Denver’s drug, youth violence, and gang-related tragic impact, establishing the needed capabilities, experience, and commitment to promoting a healthier lifestyle for urban youth.

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