Country music star Jelly Roll is giving back to his community, lending his support to a new youth centre in Nashville. The CMT Music Award winner, real name Jason DeFord, took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Youth Campus for Empowerment on Tuesday, 8th August.
Jelly Roll has a personal connection to the project, having spent his youth in the nearby town of Antioch, Tennessee. He was previously incarcerated several times at the city's old juvenile detention centre, the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Centre. This experience has fuelled his passion for creating a new facility that focuses on rehabilitation and support for young people who find themselves in similar situations.
"I celebrated my 14th, 15th, and 16th birthdays there,â Jelly Roll shared at the ceremony, according to local news outlet WZTV. "The only reason I wasnât there at 17 was because I was charged as an adult."
The country artist, who performed in Las Vegas on the same evening, expressed his belief that the new youth centre represents a "well-spent" investment in the city's young people. He described the old facility as outdated, stating that "it hadnât changed nothing but the paint in 30 years,â a fact he knew "because I was there."
"Get rid of stuff that makes you feel like a caged animal," he urged. "Make these kids feel loved and give them a chance in life. A lot of these kids are victims of their circumstances. This is a really great chance to change things."
According to the Juvenile Court Clerk website, the new facility will be "a family-oriented, trauma-informed campus." Spread over 14 acres, the site will include facilities designed to support families, a 24-hour centre for young people in crisis, courtrooms, and meeting spaces. The Youth Campus for Empowerment is expected to be completed by 2027.
This isn't the first time Jelly Roll has offered support to young people at the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Centre. In 2022, he announced his plans to donate a recording studio to the centre, a project that came to fruition in May 2024.
Speaking with PEOPLE in 2022 about the studio, Jelly Roll discussed how his own passion for music was ignited during his time at the facility.
"I was in and out of there for about three, three and a half years. I spent a lot of time there and eventually got charged as an adult for a crime I committed as a juvenile," he recalled. "And I just realised that was the most impactful thing that ever happened in my life, and the darkest moments of my life still were being that 15-year-old scared kid spending Thanksgiving away from his family."
He continued, "It's important, man. I think it's important that we give back, especially [to] our kids ... They were born into just whatever situation it was, and sometimes they can't see past that situation or that neighbourhood or that environment. I just hope to bring hope to that and kind of be a beacon and a light for those kids."
Jelly Roll's continued commitment to supporting vulnerable youth highlights his dedication to making a positive impact on his community and inspiring change in the lives of young people.
