The agency mentors Black girls between the ages of 11 and 17.
The group’s name stands for Depositing Empowerment Through Outreach and Urban Development.
‘I grew up with six foster sisters who were all younger than me,” Conwright said. “I started to meet with them informally, taking them to breakfast and talking to them about teen topics. That turned into a more formal setting.”
With a staff of nine, DETOUR is based at the Jacobs Center in Encanto and meets at the Skyline recreation center.
The group also has a mentor program for girls in Juvenile Hall.
“I was raised in Southeastern San Diego and it was really important for me to provide additional opportunities for the girls who were coming from a neighborhood I was coming from,” Conwright said. “As I networked outside my community, I learned about new and different opportunities that often people outside of Southeastern San Diego weren’t aware of.”