E18: Amachi Pittsburgh: Walking Alongside Children of Incarcerated Parents

What makes Ryan-Louis McNeil with Amachi Pittsburgh a good neighbor?  

Breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma requires community support, especially for our most vulnerable young people. Ryan-Louis McNeil joins the Good Neighbor Podcast to share the powerful mission of Amachi Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization that has been serving youth and families affected by parental incarceration since 2003.

Ryan-Louis reveals how his journey from a decade in banking to nonprofit work was inspired by his mother's dedication to community service. With passion and purpose, he outlines how Amachi Pittsburgh provides comprehensive support through mentoring programs, family strengthening workshops, and reentry services. Their philosophy isn't about "saving" anyone—it's about walking alongside families, uplifting voices, and creating pathways to success for youth who too often face damaging stereotypes about their potential.

One of Amachi's most exciting new initiatives is their mobile outreach unit called "Here For You," bringing resources directly into communities where they're needed most. Ryan-Louis explains how their multi-faceted approach includes school-based mentoring, digital storytelling, and community events to reach families effectively.

Don't miss the upcoming Amachi Pittsburgh block party on July 26th at the Woodland Hills Impact Center, celebrating the launch of their new mobile unit! Follow their journey on social media @AmachiPGH or visit AmachiPGH.org to learn how you can support children and families impacted by incarceration in your community.

To learn more about Amachi Pittsburgh go to: 

https://amachipgh.org/

Amachi Pittsburgh

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a nonprofitsupporting youth impacted by
parental incarceration?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
ryan Lewis McNeil, with AmachiPittsburgh.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Ryan.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Lewis, how's it going ?

Speaker 3 (00:32):
It is going good.
Good to be here.
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Oh, thanks for being here.
Good to have you.
So we're excited to learn allabout you and the business,
please tell us about yourorganization.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yes, so I am a representative for Amachi
Pittsburgh.
Amachi Pittsburgh is anonprofit organization that has
been serving youth and familiessince 2003.
Our mission is to supportchildren and families impacted
by parental or familialincarceration.
We do this through mentoring.
We have family strengtheningworkshops, programs, re-entry

(01:08):
programming and we just launchedour new mobile outreach unit
community outreach unit calledhere For you.
So we do a lot of school-basedmentoring as well.
We do a lot of different thingsfor a community-facing aspect.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
How impactful.
How did you get into thisbusiness?

Speaker 3 (01:26):
Oh, so I've been with Amachi.
Wow, it's been two years sinceI've been with Amachi.
It's like sometimes I feel likeit's been longer, but it's been
two years.
And I jumped into this workcoming from a long, 10-year
experience in banking, sojumping into the nonprofit
sector here in Pittsburgh, dueto my mother who is very active

(01:49):
in the nonprofit world throughMon Valley Initiative and
Riverside for Innovation andDiversity.
She was the director of theDiversity Resource Center, so I
was always surrounded by anonprofit, the nonprofit world.
So it was just only right thatI follow in her footsteps and
make my own little imprints.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Excellent.
What are some myths ormisconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3 (02:15):
I feel like the major misconception is, when a parent
is incarcerated, the child willautomatically follow the same
path.
That is not true, which youknow.
With the right support, loveand guidance, these young people
are more capable of achievinggreatness.
So another myth is, likenonprofits only provide charity,

(02:35):
you know, and that we're hereto save, you know we're not here
to save anyone.
You know.
We're here, you know, to walkalongside, to uplift and to
center voices of people.
You know we serve.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
I love that you said walk alongside and uplift,
because that's truly the waythat you support someone in a
genuine way.
Yeah, we know that marketing isthe heart of the business, so
who are your target customersand how do you attract them?

Speaker 3 (03:02):
So we are heavily families and youth centered.
A lot of like our target, likesocial media.
We do a lot of communityoutreach.
Community outreach and digitalstorytelling and, including me
doing it I'm the outreachcoordinator for Munchie,
pittsburgh.
So in addition to that, I dothe social media as well.

(03:25):
So I'm really in the middle ofrevamping of what storytelling
looks like for Amache on asocial media aspect and
definitely including a lot ofour youth, because they're like
younger than me and they're hip,so they can you know, help
someone like me, kind of likeguideline, and really be revamp
and tell these stories.

(03:47):
You know, I feel like you knowour focus, you know we want to
do more content because we'realso in schools, community
events.
And then our mobile unit is newand launched launched soft
launch, but launched and we'realso, you know, going deeper in
the community.
So it's kind of like we'rewe're really all around,
especially when it's heavilyfocused on youth school.

(04:08):
It's a lot of school basedevents, community church events,
you know stuff like that, wherewe can be seen and visible.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
So you're really trying to grow engagement within
this community, especially theyouth.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast youth
have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast?

Speaker 3 (04:24):
I actually do have a podcast.
Yes, aside from what I do withAmachi, I host a podcast called
Ryan Out Loud that is.
I've actually just celebratedfive years of Ryan Out Loud Five
years, 25,000 listens, and,yeah, I've been.
It's a podcast that is a safespace for Black, lgbtq plus

(04:47):
creatives.
I've interviewed a lot ofdifferent people from creatives
in all different aspects allaround the world.
So that's what I do on the side, so that's my thing.
But Amachi in general we are apodcast is in the work with
youth and families to kind ofhave those center conversations
about, you know, from a parent,from somebody that was formerly

(05:10):
incarcerated perspective fromthem and a perspective from how
to bring that together.
So that's in the works as well.
So I have my, I have myexperience with that.
So I'm really going to bebehind the scenes and executive
producing for that soon verygood.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
So outside of work, what else do you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:29):
so I am of.
I am an, I am an event curator,I'm a creative director, a
podcast host.
I emcee events.
Um, recently I just I hosted,uh, pittsburgh's pride.
Um, I emceed their uptown pride.
I curate my own events.
I do a lot of different thingsoutside of what I do at Emachi.

(05:49):
My days are all over the placebut I try to, you know, center
myself.
So with Ryan Out Loud, which Iam prepping for an in-person
live experience, ryan Out LoudLive that's going to be called
Loud and Proud.
That will feature three BlackLGBTQ creatives in the city of
Pittsburgh and really highlightthem, and that's coming up next

(06:12):
for me.
But that's what I do, that's myfun, and I just finished the
first draft of my debut novel.
So I do a lot of differentthings.
A lot of different things.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yes, yes, yes, yes different things, a lot of
different things.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
So, ryan Lewis, please tell ourlisteners one thing they should
remember about AmachiPittsburgh.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
Amachi Pittsburgh.
We are an organization that isdedicated to the families.
We're dedicated to being a partof the community, especially
with our new mobile unit herefor you.
We are literally here tosupport and if we can't provide
those resources directly, wewill always connect those in

(06:53):
need and necessary that needhelp.
Anywhere they need to go,anywhere they need Direct them
in the right way, Amachi isliterally here for you.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
That's powerful.
So how can our listeners learnmore about Amachi Pittsburgh?

Speaker 3 (07:08):
Follow us on social media.
Uh, facebook is at AmachiPittsburgh.
Um, uh, our social mediaInstagram is at Amachi PGH.
So those are really or you cango to our website at
AmachiPGHorg Excellent.

(07:31):
Well, ryan Lewis, I reallyappreciate your time today and
having you guest on our show.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Can I add one?

Speaker 3 (07:34):
more thing.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
How can I forget this?
We are having a really bigblock party on July 26,
celebrating the launch of ournew mobile unit, called here For
you.
We're going to be at theWoodland Hills Impact Center
July 26th from 12 pm to 5 pm.
So if you're listening to thisand even if you want to be a
vendor vendor fees $30, pleasecontact me at rmcneil at

(07:58):
amanchipghorg.
We can get you settled andtaken care of and it's free for
the community.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
Excellent.
Well, we wish you and yourbusiness the best moving forward
.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnppittsburghcom.
That's gnppittsburghcom.
That's gnppittsburghcom.
Or call 412-561-9956.