The Brant Center, formerly located on Lapsley Street, has a brand-new location on Citizen’s Parkway.

The Center, a place dedicated to helping at risk youths and their families, has offices for counseling sessions, a classroom for tutoring, a game room for the kids to unwind once their work has been completed and a barbershop where they can get a fresh haircut to increase their self-esteem.

David Brantley, who founded the Brant Center alongside his brother Darryl in 2003 has had the vision for the new Brant Center for quite some time.

“I always wanted to help kids,” said Brantley. “Once I knew I wanted to be a social worker I started coming up with all of these ideas..”

Brantley began dreaming up those ideas in 1994 while still earning his bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama.

It wasn’t until earlier this year when his vision became a reality.

Diondre Mathis, who serves as the Brant Center’s Program Director, mentor and house barber, brought the keys to the new space at 2899 Citizen’s Parkway back in March.

By July, the center had a new space.

“It was all already in my head,” said Brantley. “I was like, ‘the carpet goes here that wall goes there’… all this had been in my head for a really long time.”

Brantley and Mathis wish to use the new center to continue serving at risk youths in the community.

“We want to be the agency that people are looking toward to help kids, help families,” said Brantley.  “As social workers and counselors, that’s our thing, helping people that are in need.”

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that these kids are headed in the right direction,” added Mathis.

Much of what Brantley and Mathis do to point the kids in the right direction stems from anger management.

“All of these kids are angry in some way,” said Brantley.

“Whether they know it or not,” added Mathis.

Brantley has taught anger management across the counties of the Black Belt throughout his entire career as a social worker.

The anger management classes have even been taught in area schools and, according to Brantley, the kids “eat it up.”

“We’re really with these kids,” said Brantley. “We tell it like it is. We’re able to relate this information in ways they understand.”

“We both come from the same environment many of these kids do,” added Mathis.

Brantley and Mathis both teach the kids how to slow down and avoid getting angry.

“It’s all about staying cool,” said Mathis. “Even if they’re back there playing video games, we want them to stay cool.”

Brantley and Mathis hope that the kids who come through learn the disciplinary structures and apply them to their lives at home.

“Kids act like they hate discipline,” said Brantley, “But they really love it. Without it, they’re lost.”