MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Teen crime is something organizations all over Memphis have been battling for years. One of those organizations, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis, has a new president and CEO who is making it a priority to get kids off the streets.
Metise Moore wants to help bring the city’s crime rates down. Moore plans to do this through expanding Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) programs across the city.
Moore grew up in Denver, Colorado, and was a Boys & Girls Club kid himself. He said that experience still inspires him to this day.
"I know how important it is to [not only] have the solutions and these opportunities in place, but also give a message to the kids that it is possible if you take advantage of the opportunities in front of you as well as work hard,” said Moore.
The nonprofit serves about 6,700 kids each year, with about 90% of them living in high-poverty, high-crime areas.
According to the Shelby County Crime Commission, 569 children faced serious juvenile charges and more than 4,500 faced delinquent juvenile charges between Jan. 2023 and Sept. 2023.
"Given the recent crime reports that we just got for year's end of 2023, I seen a real disparaging number. That was 171 youth shootings,” said Moore.
Moore wants to fight these alarming trends through positive youth development. He said the Juice Plus+ Technical Training Center, which partners with nearly a dozen Memphis schools, is their most popular program. He said expanding this, along with other programs, is another top priority.
"Opportunities for our kids to expand and look at other resource opportunities and not go to the street element or the crime element - that's our number one priority,” said Moore.
Moore is a former NCAA Division 1 basketball player at the University of Akron in Ohio, so he also wants to revamp the sports programs that have fallen off, he said.
Moore is to become the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis president following former president Keith Blanchard's retirement on Oct. 31, 2023.