Our story
Built From the Inside Out.
BNB Coaching and Consulting was founded on lived experience, hard-won wisdom, and an unshakeable belief that every young person deserves a real chance.
Earl Young Jr.
Founder & Executive Director
Roles & Recognition
Credible Messenger · Speaker · Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
Earl Young Jr. grew up in the Sandtown–West Baltimore community, a Boy Scout who learned fishing, landscaping, and trade skills from an early age. At 17, his life took a dramatic turn when he was sentenced to life plus 13 years. He served 34 years and 7 months in the Maryland Correctional System — and never stopped growing.
During his incarceration, Earl earned his GED and studied Criminal Justice and Safety through Coppin State University. He served as a Senior Counselor with Project Turnaround from 1988 through the 1990s, mentoring youth and reinforcing the importance of responsibility, education, and informed decision-making — even from behind bars.
In 2016, he expanded his advocacy through the Baltimore City Police Re-Entry Program and helped develop a statewide letter-writing campaign with advocate Merle Helen Morrow. Letters from incarcerated men across Maryland were distributed to youth in juvenile facilities, addressing peer pressure, accountability, education, and self-reflection. One of those letters was published in Letters to Youth From Men in the Maryland State Prisons (2020).
"I went in at 17 and came out with a purpose. Everything I went through — I use it to make sure these young men don't have to go through the same thing.
— Earl Young Jr., Founder
Since returning home in July 2019, Earl has worked directly with students across the Baltimore City school system, now serving in supervisory roles hiring and overseeing mentors. He has testified multiple times in support of criminal justice reform at the Maryland state and federal levels — sharing his lived experience before legislative bodies, judicial committees, and policy stakeholders.
Mission & values
Why We Do This Work.
BNB Coaching and Consulting exists to interrupt the cycle to reach young men and women ages 13–18 before the streets, the system, or circumstance make that choice for them. We bring real mentors with real stories into real communities.
Credibility
Our mentors have lived experience. We don't talk at young people we talk with them, from a place of truth.
Accountability
We hold ourselves and our youth to high standards. Growth requires honesty, and we model that every day.
Community
We are rooted in Baltimore. We know these streets, these schools, and these families and we show up for them.
Transformation
We believe change is possible at any age, in any circumstance. We've seen it. We are proof of it.
Community roles
Where Earl Shows Up.
Credible Messenger
Mayor's Office of African American Male Engagement
Community Moral Voice Partner
Group Violence Reduction Strategy
Collaborator
Maryland Equitable Justice Collaboration — Office of the AG & Public Defender
Mentor & Supervisor
New Vision Youth Services — Baltimore City Schools
Legislative Advocate
Maryland State & Federal Criminal Justice Reform
Owner
Building Not Begging, LLC — Moving, Hauling, Landscaping & Carpentry
Community partners
Who We Work With.
BNB Coaching collaborates with a network of Baltimore-based organizations, government agencies, and advocacy groups committed to youth justice, reentry support, and community transformation.
Ready to Get Involved?
Whether you want to enroll a young person, partner with us, or support our mission; we want to hear from you!