West Philly pastor empowers youth through cutting-edge technology

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Saving one life at a time is what gets pastor Aaron Campbell excited every day.

He’s founder of Level Up Philly, an anti-violence-based program that attracts nearly 1,500 youths from more than 100 schools across the city. Children flood the church each week looking for alternatives to street life.

Campbell is also pastor of Antioch Christian Fellowship Church located near 47th and Chestnut streets in West Philadelphia.

“We do all angles of mentoring,” Campbell said. It includes everything from after-school, relaxation, safe space, academic tutoring and cash for good grades.

“Any kid can show their grades and get $20 right on the spot,” he said.

One might call it controlled chaos, but Campbell insists his holistic mentoring program is making a difference.

“The reality is crime is lower when Level Up doors are open. Every neighborhood is here, and we get them from the nerdiest to actually, some of the most violent,” Campbell said.

One evening at the church, Campbell welcomed at-risk youth ages 10 to 25 to a space where they could find joy in their respective interests this holiday season. The aroma of lamb chops wafted from the kitchen — a warm invitation for anyone else who entered the building.

Some gathered in the arcade room, others were immersed in art and garden therapy, while others showed off their dance moves as part of a live recording on TikTok.

Armed security guards stood watch at every entrance and corner of the church, a visible layer of protection for children and the state-of-the-art STEM lab housed inside.

The lab is equipped with computer labs, 3-D printers, VR headsets and two robotic dogs. Instructors teach children digital navigation, coding, video game design, entrepreneurship and how to use artificial intelligence.

They’re also learning to code in C++ and Python, skills being used to train the robotic dogs. “We want to prepare them for the future,” Campbell said. “The surest path and the path, is the stem. The short path for career pipelines and future stability.”

Sybir Brown, 18, demonstrated how to operate one of the robotic dogs, which can respond to commands to jump and roll over.

“I know it’s a lot of people that would do anything just to even get a look at this,” Brown said. “I got an opportunity to put my hands on it, so I’m blessed.”

Brown appreciates the opportunity and the investment Campbell is making to provide children with new technology.

“I think he’s opening up a lot of opportunities for people to get jobs for the future,” Brown said.

Brown said he would likely have fallen victim to the streets, a sobering admission that underscores the stakes for the initiative aimed at gun violence.

Kirby Gaherty is a senior fellow of Community Safety & Harm Reduction at the Greater Washington Community Foundation.

Gaherty told WHYY News that traditional youth programs often miss the mark when it comes to helping those entangled in gun violence. Too often, she said, educational and workforce opportunities target young people who excel in school and have adequate support at home, leaving the most vulnerable behind.

“These programs will also often remove young people based on behaviors as opposed to providing added support,” Gaherty said. “Programs where ALL young people feel seen, heard and welcome are key to preventing and intervening in violence.”

Although young people are not the primary drivers of gun violence in cities, Gaherty noted that firearms remain the leading cause of death for children in the United States.

But she emphasized that creating spaces where young people can lead, have fun, feel safe and connect with relatable, caring and consistent adults is integral to violence prevention.

“Young people are more likely to participate in and attend programming that is of interest to them,” Gaherty said. “Adults can often prescribe certain educational or career pathways to youth without really learning from them about their goals, skills and interests. In spaces where there are a variety of options for exploration alongside holistic support, young people can feel free to be themselves while also being kept safe- that is youth violence prevention.”

And that’s the point: Campbell hopes to empower the next generation of young leaders.

“We’ve reconciled, numerous gangs, countless gangs, and we’re considered the only neutral place in all of Philadelphia where every warring neighborhood will come here and not fight because it’s considered neutral territory,” Campbell said.