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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.”
One of the robotic dogs that Level Up Philly purchased to acclimate students to the technology and give them the opportunity to learn how they work. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)