Our Team

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Joy Stevenson, President / CEO

Autumn Joiner, Executive Director

Joy Stevenson founded Catch Them Young, Inc. (CTY) in 2003. Having been a teenage mother, she was placed in a position to experience adulthood at a very early age. Her challenges birthed a sensitivity and awareness to the needs of children and parents alike. She began counseling youth in her local church and community. A (12) year tenure with the Job Corps Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, located in Washington, D.C., afforded her the opportunity to work with youth from various backgrounds, such as of homelessness, foster care, sexual exploitation, abuse and drug addictions. With a small staff and a few volunteers, she developed several programs geared toward youth growth and development. She has done extensive work in the community offering programs and resources to families in need. She often shares her story … and truly believes, “if she can do it, so can you”!

Joy obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration as well as a master’s degree in Human Services Counseling. She has received training in the area of Trauma Informed Care and is certified as a Facilitator to conduct Human Trafficking Prevention Workshops to youth and the community at large.

She is also the author of “A Guide to Raising Children in a Society Geared Toward Failure”. A publication designed to equip parents, educators, youth, etc. with the tools needed to raise healthy, productive children. Her passion is to impact the lives of todays’ youth with her God given gift of LOVE!

CTY has vowed to make a difference in the lives of children that due to negative environments and the lack of parental guidance are geared toward failure.

At an early age, Autumn learned the value of youth advocacy and could be found passionately providing community outreach with her mother. They frequently visited low income areas in the National Capital region, to take resources, empowerment, and hope. Transitioning into adulthood, she went on to study Elementary Education at Morgan State University. Her invested interest in a healthy family unit shaped her life goals and purpose! She later earned a degree in Family & Consumer Science.

In 2017, when Autumn was presented the opportunity to continue the work that set her heart a blaze, she eagerly pursued the chance! Serving alongside HP Serve/Empower 225 located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s lowest income and highest crime area, she was able to continue serving youth and their families as well. She poured her heart and efforts into launching and leading her team in The Mentoring Child Victims Program (MCVP), a grant funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice Department (OJJDP). MCVP served youth who were at-risk for or had confirmed cases of sexual exploitation. She worked passionately to successfully pair youth with a trusted, extensively trained, and relatable adults that would assist them in reaching personal and academic goals.

She expanded her knowledge by participating in extensive training surrounding Trauma Informed Care, Human Trafficking, Positive Youth Development and many other in-person and online trainings and certifications. She worked hard to ensure every mentor and many community leaders were trained on tips for successful mentoring and best practices on serving youth at-risk.

Dynamically walking in her purpose, she serves as the Executive Director with Catch Them Young, responsible for the strategic planning of the organization.

Board Directors