H.A.V.E.N. (Help Achieve Victorious Endings Now) is a youth development initiative created by Rising from the Shadows' Founder- Latoya M. Alston. H.A.V.E.N. was created to positively shift the trajectory of young people’s lives by helping them develop the confidence, knowledge, skills, and support systems needed to thrive—not simply survive—in today’s complex world.

Grounded in self-love, self-help, self-awareness, biblical principles, prevention education, and future-focused development, H.A.V.E.N. provides youth with opportunities to learn, grow, build meaningful relationships, and develop practical tools for navigating life.

H.A.V.E.N. Currently Includes Two Branches:

1. H.A.V.E.N. Mentoring
H.A.V.E.N. Mentoring provides intentional, faith-based mentoring for youth in grades 6–12. Through supportive mentor-mentee relationships, young people receive guidance and encouragement while developing skills related to self-esteem, resiliency, coping, decision-making, peer pressure, relationships, mental health awareness, abuse prevention, and future planning. The goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where youth can discover their strengths, recognize their value, and build a vision for their future.

2. The Blueprint Youth Initiative
The Blueprint Youth Initiative is the workshop and community-development branch of H.A.V.E.N. designed to provide interactive, practical learning experiences, The Blueprint focuses on equipping youth with knowledge and life skills they can apply beyond the classroom. Beginning in 2027, The Blueprint will offer community-based workshops and experiences designed to help young people develop their personal, social, emotional, and future-planning skills.

The Foundation of H.A.V.E.N.

At the heart of H.A.V.E.N. is The Survival Workbook for Tweens and Teens by Latoya M. Alston. This resource serves as a foundational tool for H.A.V.E.N. programming and can be used to support facilitators working within churches, nonprofits, schools, prevention education programs, and community organizations. It also serves as a foundation for programming delivered directly by Rising from the Shadows, LLC.

While H.A.V.E.N. Mentoring and The Blueprint Youth Initiative currently represent the two branches of the initiative, H.A.V.E.N. is designed to grow as the needs of young people and communities evolve.

Partner With H.A.V.E.N.

We are eager to expand the reach of H.A.V.E.N. and bring meaningful youth development opportunities to more communities. If you are a church, nonprofit organization, school, prevention education provider, recreation center, community organization, or other youth-serving entity committed to inspiring, teaching, mentoring, and equipping today’s youth, we invite you to explore a partnership with us.

Together, we can help young people move beyond simply surviving their circumstances—and give them the tools, support, and confidence to achieve victorious endings now.

For inquiries, partnerships, or program implementation, please contact our East Coast Program Coordinator, Shakura Woodland, at Shakura@RisingfromtheShadows.net or our West Coast Program Coordinator, Aggie Parks, at Aggie@RisingfromtheShadows.net. 

*Teach *Equip *Serve *Love *Build *Expand *Strengthen*