Our Story
SHEROS began in 2016 with a commitment to uplifting young people. As the mission grew, it expanded to SHEROS-HHEROS to clearly include boys and young men too.
What's Your Superpower?
Unleash Your Super Powers
SHEROS-HHEROS empowers youth and young adults ages 14–24, returning citizens, and families to discover their strengths, build real-life skills, lead with confidence, and create positive change.
About SHEROS-HHEROS
SHEROS-HHEROS was created to help young people recognize their strengths, build confidence, gain practical skills, and stay connected to support as they move through real-life challenges.
Our work is community-rooted, youth-centered, and built to meet real needs across Philadelphia.
Our Mission
Youth and young adults are at the center of everything we do through mentorship, life skills, social and emotional learning, leadership development, community outreach, legal literacy, and hands-on support.
Our Approach
We meet young people where they are by bringing together volunteers, educators, and professionals through workshops, symposiums, speaking engagements, and community partnerships that keep support consistent and personal.
Founder & Leadership
Leadership that shows up for Philadelphia every day
Our leadership team combines lived experience, consistent mentorship, and practical support to guide youth, families, and returning citizens toward lasting progress.
Founder & CEO
Nalani T. Haynes
Nalani Haynes is a Philadelphia native, community advocate, and the Founder and CEO of SHEROS-HHEROS. Her path through parochial schools in Philadelphia, Germantown High School, and Cheltenham High School gave her early awareness of unequal opportunity and treatment. Her career as a correctional officer at SCI Graterford deepened her understanding of how missed chances and limited support shape lives. She graduated from Community College of Philadelphia and studied public health at Temple University. Now retired from corrections, she is fully devoted to SHEROS-HHEROS, bringing lived experience, a public health perspective, and decades of service to help young people build skills, confidence, and power to shape their futures.
Read full leadership story
Director of Youth Programs
TRINITY ANGEL PEAK
Reentry & Family Support Lead
Tanisha Brooks
Tanisha guides families and returning citizens through legal, financial, and life-skill milestones with clear plans, trusted referrals, and steady follow-through.
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Updated portrait coming soon
Mentor
Jamila Evans
Jamila is a teacher with the Philadelphia School District with expertise in ESL and History. She supports social-emotional learning and strengthens participant growth tracking and program outcome documentation so youth can demonstrate progress and SHEROS-HHEROS can continuously improve and share impact.
Community Impact
Real support, visible change across everyday life in Philadelphia
SHEROS HHEROS strengthens lives through practical, human-centered support that helps youth, families, and returning citizens move forward with confidence.
Trusted Mentorship
Youth and young adults build steady relationships with mentors who offer guidance, encouragement, and accountability through life transitions.
Prevention Rooted in Community
Violence prevention support combines emotional skill building, conflict guidance, and trusted adult presence to help reduce harm before it escalates.
Reentry Guidance with Dignity
Returning citizens receive practical next-step support, resource connections, and consistent encouragement that eases the move back into community life.
Life Readiness
Participants strengthen workforce habits, communication, legal and financial literacy, and decision-making skills they can use in daily life.
Local roots, daily connection
Rooted in Philadelphia. Connected with our community every day.
Service Area
Serving youth, families, and returning citizens across Philadelphia
SHEROS HHEROS is community-rooted in Philadelphia, delivering mentorship, violence prevention, literacy, workforce readiness, and reentry support where it is needed most.
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