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Founder and CEO
Shelton D. Watson, LMSW
- is a community leader, social worker, and the visionary behind the ARTSAVE GPS Transit Model—Guided Pathways to Safety. As the founder of ARTSAVE, Inc. and ARTSAVE Christian Ministries, Shelton has created a transformative space where youth and young adults impacted by gun violence, trauma, and systemic injustice can find healing, purpose, and creative freedom.
- The GPS Transit Model uses arts-based therapeutic tracks—like Music, Film, Photography, Podcasting, Fashion, Culinary Arts, and Writing—to guide youth off the streets and into safe, empowering spaces. Through this model, Shelton provides pathways that promote mental wellness, emotional regulation, skill-building, and leadership development. Each GPS line represents a journey—starting with lived experience and ending in safety, expression, and success.
- With over a decade in the field, Shelton has served in shelters, schools, reentry programs, and mental health initiatives across New York City. His work blends trauma-informed care, creative expression, and culturally relevant programming to meet young people exactly where they are.
- Beyond direct service, Shelton is focused on changing the systems that create harm. His PhD at Fordham University will focus on - a research attempt to explore the link between shifting social policies connected to the rise of gun violence among youth, particularly in historically marginalized communities, and will dive deep into what he calls the "psychological diagnosis of American culture"—examining the “American Dream” as a potential nightmare that contributes to social disconnection and violence among Black and Latino Youth.
- Shelton believes safety isn't just about stopping harm—it's about building opportunity. Through ARTSAVE’s GPS Transit Model, he helps youth navigate their own routes toward healing and impact. He’s not just building programs—he’s building new systems of support that center creativity, faith, justice, and youth voice.
- Whether in a classroom, courtroom, or community center, Shelton Watson is guiding the next generation through pathways of hope—one stop at a time.
Academic Achievements
BCC 2012
Fordham University 2025
Lehman College 2014
Associates Degree
Human Services
Lehman College 2014
Fordham University 2025
Lehman College 2014
Bachelor's Degree
Social Work
Yeshiva University 2019
Fordham University 2025
Fordham University 2025
Masters Degree
Social Work
Fordham University 2025
Fordham University 2025
Fordham University 2025
PhD, Doctoral
Social Work