Every year, YouthCare shows up for more than a thousand young people. Some come from right here in Seattle. Others, like Diallo, have crossed continents in search of safety, stability, and the chance for a better future. Today, we’re inviting you to show up for young people like him. 

In December 2023, Diallo and his brother were living with their family in Guinea, West Africa. Like so many parents, theirs dreamed of something more for their children. In an act of profound love and sacrifice, they made the heartbreaking decision to entrust their sons to another adult and send them on a journey to America in search of that future. 

“I love my family… I love my little sister so much,” Diallo says, smiling. “I still talk to my mom every day. I wake up and see that she called every morning.” Then, more quietly: “They wanted a better life for me and my brother.” 

What followed was not a simple journey—it was an odyssey. Months turned into years as they traveled through Turkey, El Salvador, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico. Along the way, they were abandoned by the very person meant to guide them. Alone, they pressed on. 

Eventually, they reached the United States, only to be placed in detention centers in Arizona and Texas. 

When asked about that time, Diallo shrugs gently: “It was rough.” 

From detention, Diallo and his brother entered foster care and were eventually brought to Seattle, where they found YouthCare’s Phoenix Program—a place for refugee youth to land, heal, and begin again. Diallo has been there for eight months now. He’s in high school and beginning to imagine what a future might look like. 

When asked what stood out most when he arrived in Seattle, he laughed: “It rains a lot.” Then, after a pause, he added something deeper: “Freedom.” 

Freedom, to Diallo, is simple and profound: “A place where I can cook for myself. Go outside with friends. Have a little money to go to the store. Play soccer.” 

Freedom is being safe. Freedom is being a teenager. Freedom is finally having a chance to build a future. Freedom is what you can help make possible for a young person by making a gift to YouthCare today. 

Today, Diallo dreams of joining the Army. “I want to help people that don’t have power—to save people,” he says. He’s building friendships, playing soccer (he loves Real Madrid), and preparing to start electrician training next year. 

Diallo’s story is extraordinary—but the need is not unique. 

Every night, more than a thousand young people seek refuge from the streets, in need of a safe place and a safe person to turn to. Some have come from broken homes and broken families. Some have come from broken systems. Some, like Diallo, have come from other countries in search of a better life. Each arrives carrying their own story, their own resilience,  

When you make a gift to YouthCare, you become that safe place. That safe person. The person who shows up for a young person when no one else has. The person they can depend on. You can become that person by making a gift to YouthCare today. 

We show up because every young person matters. We show up not because young people are liabilities to manage, but because they are assets to cultivate. We show up because we believe that inside every young person, there is beauty our community needs. 

When someone told Diallo he was brave, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said. “I am brave.” Showing up for young people like Diallo takes bravery, too. 

Will you show up today with a gift to help young people find safety, healing, and the freedom to build a future? 

We hope you will join us in helping young people like Diallo find and build the life they and their families dream of. All it takes is showing up. And when we show up together, the impact is even greater for the young people we serve. Thank you for believing in young people.