History
At every level—from the White House to city halls—young people are too often left out of decisions that shape their futures. Kinston Teens was founded to change that.
In October 2014, at just 14 years old, Chris J. Suggs launched Kinston Teens with a vision: to amplify youth voices and create service, leadership, and civic engagement opportunities for his peers. Already an active leader in Kinston, Chris recognized that the challenges facing young people—especially in historically underserved communities—required solutions led by those most affected.
Kinston, North Carolina, with a population of around 20,000, has long faced high rates of poverty, violent crime, and systemic disinvestment. In 2014 alone, over 61 shootings were reported in Kinston, with the average age of victims and offenders just 21 years old. Chris and other youth saw a clear need for positive, empowering alternatives—and took action.
Rooted in East Kinston, a predominantly Black neighborhood ranked by UNC Chapel Hill as the #1 most economically distressed census tract in North Carolina, Kinston Teens grew from a grassroots volunteer effort into a recognized force for community transformation. Our work today builds on those strong youth-led foundations while engaging neighbors of all ages in reimagining and revitalizing our city.
Since its founding, Kinston Teens has engaged thousands through youth leadership development programs, voter engagement initiatives, neighborhood revitalization efforts, and mutual aid projects. Our impact has been recognized locally, statewide, nationally, and globally—but our deepest success is reflected in the young leaders and families building a stronger Kinston together.
In 2017, Chris purchased an abandoned home at just 17 years old, transforming it into the East Kinston Neighborhood Hub—Kinston’s first official resilience hub. Today, the Hub serves as a beacon of community care, providing emergency resources, digital access, food support, and civic programming. In 2023, we launched an ambitious community-led planning process to expand into a new, larger facility that will better meet the needs of East Kinston, helping neighbors prepare for, withstand, and recover from disasters while building everyday resilience.
Our history is a story of young people leading change—and bringing entire communities with them. As we continue to grow, Kinston Teens remains committed to creating spaces where youth and adults stand side-by-side, building a healthier, more equitable, and more resilient future for all.
