Current Conditions
35°F - CLEAR
(266) (120) (37) (37) (7) (5) (3) (2)
High on his list of priorities is to contribute to his community, and he finds contentment in knowing that he is making a difference in the lives of some young people.
"It's my calling and my duty," Torres said. "I feel called to serve the least of these."
Torres particularly likes to get involved with those who have chosen an unsafe path, one that has led them to crime and destruction.
As director of the Lancaster County Council of Churches' Clergy Youth Empowerment Succeed, or C-YES program, Torres deals with young men and women who are caught dealing drugs.
When the first four participants in a Lancaster crime-reduction initiative were offered a chance to clean up their acts, Torres was there with other community leaders and law-enforcement officers to offer help and establish standards about right and wrong.
The program lets selected dealers who have minimal prior records avoid jail by simply agreeing to abide by a set of strict guidelines. Torres guides them while the young offenders seek counseling, training and jobs.
"I want to equip young people to make the right choices," Torres said. "I can't force them, but I can guide them."
Torres, 36, has worked with troubled youths most of his life. His first job was as a volunteer at a local youth center.
"I was still a high school student myself, but it created a desire in me to work with young people," said the county native. "Since then, I've done this kind of work in different capacities."
Those include the American Red Cross, where he was a youth specialist, Project Forward Leap and the Impact Program at McCaskey High School.
Torres' work with the C-YES program is part time, and his full-time job also involves working with young people. He is program director of La Academia Charter School on North Ann Street, where he oversees the after-school program and the summer school.
"I concentrate on making the school a community after hours," he said. "I try to give the students an opportunity to learn 'outside the box' by bringing in professionals and people in our community to share their experiences."
But Torres' passion is working with the subset of young men and women who are in trouble with the law, to show them that their actions have consequences; that there are different and better lifestyles; that they can restore their relationships with their parents and their community.
"I don't hold their hand and let them get away with the trouble they have caused, but I just believe in social justice," Torres said.
"It's all about ensuring human rights to people in all levels of society."
For his work in the Lancaster community, Torres recently was honored with the Essence of Humanity Award.
The award recognizes individuals who — beyond the requirements of their work — demonstrate remarkable human qualities and a spirit of caring and inspiration to other individuals on a daily basis.
"Now I think I have to do even more," Torres said. "The pressure is on. As a community, we need to continue to help these individuals so they can find a better path. It affects all of us."
Torres is co-founder of Revolution Airways, an urban gang outreach ministry that partners with Teen Haven and First Hispanic Baptist Church of Lancaster.
"Originally, it wasn't a gang ministry. We started with just a church service in a style that was relevant to the youth," he said. "But we noticed that the kids who came in were the ones hanging out on the streets. They were either being recruited or already part of an 'imitation' gang, which is just as dangerous."
Torres said he and his ministry partner, Mike Rodriguez, had to quickly learn how to speak the kids' lingo and relate to them.
"We also let them know that there were some things that we were not going to tolerate."
There where times, Torres recalled, when some youths would throw firecrackers inside the church during the services. "They sounded just like bullets," he said.
The intimidation attempts would not stop Torres. Soon, he noticed an increase in the number of people attending the service.
"These kids needed a place to fit in, and that is exactly what we gave them," he said.
His biggest disappointment is people who base their assumptions and opinions on appearances.
"That gets to me," Torres said. "Some of these kids have gone through so much more than I ever will in my entire life. … I'm just trying to help them build a new life, self-esteem and some resilience."
A 1991 McCaskey graduate, Torres has been involved with several community groups, including the Lancaster city mayor's anti-gang committee and the Weed & Seed Program, which helps communities enhance their quality of life. He also has served with the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Learn and Service Program, promoting service learning through participation in schools and the local community.
Torres also hosts Da Horizon, a weekly radio show on WLCH 91.3 that offers a blend of contemporary inspirational music and faith-based discussions to young audiences in York and Lancaster.
Torres lives in East Lampeter Township with his wife, Linnette, and their 3-year-old son, Jahson. He attended Millersville University and is pursuing a degree in organizational leadership from Eastern University.
"Lancaster is moving and progressing in the right direction, but I am concerned with the population I am dealing with," Torres said.
"We are forgetting the younger generation. If we neglect them now, then we would have wasted all this progress."
