Two simple phrases are at the core of Juston Cooper’s work as program manager of The Spot drop-in youth center at Urban Peak in Denver: “It’s OK” and “I can hear you.”
The words are used to motivate at-risk kids and to move the people who work with them.
On any night an average of 70 homeless urban youths between the ages of 14 and 24 hang out at The Spot, participating in programs to raise their self-esteem and place them on the road to self-sufficiency.
From Cooper’s crew, they get GED assistance, encouragement in artistic endeavors including music, painting and dancing, and life skills instruction, where they might learn about hygiene and healthy cooking.
Cooper’s work at The Spot has evolved from mentor to manager. He is responsible for strategic development of programs, supervising staff and serving as a liaison between The Spot and the larger umbrella group Urban Peak.
It doesn’t matter if Cooper, 29, is helping a teenager with a college application or a City Council member looking for strategies to cope with gang violence, everyone needs the same thing: a little power boost.
He says people can get the lift from being heard and accepted for who they are.
Cooper says he’s learned that people can only get help if they think they need it.
“My grandmother used to tell me, ‘You can’t fix what other people don’t see broke,’ ” Cooper adds. “Before I work with anyone to empower them to do something or give of themselves, I request their permission. Is it OK for me to help you with this thing that you say you need?”
With his instinctive charm and powerful charisma, Cooper, known as J.C., has energy to rival a lightning bolt.
Everyone needs a piece of him. People park in his office, vying for his ear, while other line up three deep outside the door. He says he cherishes the help he gets to move social mountains.
As program manager, Cooper coordinated the merger of The Spot and Urban Peak. Urban Peak had traditionally served homeless youth, addressing human service issues such as mental health and abuse. The Spot targeted gang youth.
Their union took two years to complete. Cooper says the key to joining the groups — and building any kind of relationship, really — is helping them to see their shared goals.
“If you can get people to see what their needs are and how it impacts them to be in the situation they are in, then they can take steps to fulfill them on their own,” Cooper says.
Finding out what people are interested in naturally helps to foster cooperation and drive.
When Heidi Grove told Cooper she was feeling stagnant as a case manager at The Spot, Cooper’s easy personality allowed her to confide in him.
“He asked me what I needed and I told him I wanted to pass on what I had learned to other people,” says Grove, who now manages The Spot’s drop-in services. “He recognized that I wanted to grow. He makes you want to participate because he values you for the person you are.”
Sheba R. Wheeler: 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com
