Jelly Roll Launches Nashville Youth Center
Jelly Roll Launches Nashville Youth Center Where He Was Incarcerated
Source: Carly Mackler / Getty / Jelly Roll Launches Nashville Youth Center
Jelly Roll Launches Nashville Youth Center Where He Was Incarcerated
Jelly Roll, the celebrated “Save Me” singer, is giving back to the Nashville community in a powerful way. On August 8, the 39-year-old CMT Music Award winner, born Jason DeFord, took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Youth Campus for Empowerment in Nashville—a place close to his heart for many reasons.
Growing up in nearby Antioch, Tennessee, Jelly Roll was incarcerated multiple times as a teenager at the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center, the very facility being replaced by this new project. He vividly recalls celebrating his 14th, 15th, and 16th birthdays within the walls of the old center. “The only reason I wasn’t there at 17 was because I was charged as an adult,” he shared during the ceremony, as reported by local Fox affiliate WZTV.
A Passion for Change
Jelly Roll’s personal experiences have fueled his passion for Nashville’s mission to create a facility that emphasizes rehabilitation and support for at-risk youth. Partnering with the city, he is contributing to the funding of the new Youth Campus for Empowerment, which he believes will make a significant difference. He described the city’s youth-focused initiative as “well-spent money.”
Source: Carly Mackler / Getty / Jelly Roll Launches Nashville Youth Center
Reflecting on the old center, Jelly Roll noted that despite superficial changes, it remained largely unchanged for decades. “Get rid of stuff that makes you feel like a caged animal,” he urged, advocating for a more compassionate approach. “Make these kids feel loved and give them a chance in life. A lot of these kids are victims of their circumstances. This is a really great chance to change things.”
“Make these kids feel loved and give them a chance in life. A lot of these kids are victims of their circumstances. This is a really great chance to change things.” – Jelly Roll
The new 14-acre facility is designed to be a family-oriented, trauma-informed campus. It will include a range of resources such as support services for families, a 24-hour center for youths in crisis, courtrooms, and meeting spaces. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2027.
Ongoing Commitment
This recent ceremony marks another step in Jelly Roll’s ongoing efforts to support young people who find themselves in the juvenile justice system. In 2022, he announced plans to donate a recording studio to the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center—a dream that became a reality in May 2024. During an interview with PEOPLE in 2022, Jelly Roll spoke about discovering his passion for music while in the facility. He spent over three years in and out of the center before being charged as an adult for a crime committed as a juvenile.
Jelly Roll described those years as some of the darkest moments of his life, recalling the loneliness of spending Thanksgiving away from his family as a 15-year-old. His experiences have inspired him to give back to the community and help the next generation. “I think it’s important that we give back, especially [to] our kids,” he said. “They were born into just whatever situation it was, and sometimes they can’t see past that situation or that neighborhood or that environment. I just hope to bring hope to that and kind of be a beacon and a light for those kids.”
With the new Youth Campus for Empowerment, Jelly Roll is helping to build a brighter future for Nashville’s youth, offering them hope and the opportunity to break free from the cycles of their past.
