“My words are POWER”
11 Alive Atlanta
Reporter Katlyn Ross featured Pain On Paper's mission to help eradicate the spike in youth violence — spotlighting our therapeutic approach and the real impact it's having on young people across Georgia.
OUR MISSION
Help young people redirect their emotions and trauma into creative expression
Pain On Paper was built on one belief: that the energy behind anger, trauma, and stress — when redirected — becomes something powerful. Our P.O.P program is a therapeutic violence prevention program that has a comprehensive curriculum that teaches young people to transform their emotions into creative compositions.
From the C Waldo Scott Center in Newport News, Virginia to Gwinnett County Youth Summits in Georgia
We're meeting youth where they are, with tools that actually work
P.O.P Curriculum Modules
Social Emotional Learning
Anger Management
Conflict Resolution
Character Development
Entrepreneurship
Suicide Prevention
Music Therapy
THE METHOD
3 Core P.O.P Techniques
Remote Control — P.O.P Stance
Teaching youth to pause, shift perspective, and take control of their emotional response before acting — like changing a channel away from conflict.
Observe — Self Surveillance
Building self-awareness by helping participants recognize their emotional triggers, patterns, and how their behavior affects the people around them.
Catch a Beat — Produce Melody
Using music creation and rhythm as a therapeutic outlet — turning raw emotion into something you can hear, feel, and be proud of.
Real Stories. Real Impact.
347+
Youth served
5
States Reached
20+
Years of experience
—Meet the Founder
Pezo Johnson
Radio Personality · Motivational Speaker · Youth Advocate · Founder of P.O.P
There are few people on this planet like Pezo Johnson. Radio personality, teacher, mixtape movie director, motivational speaker, actor — and above all, a passionate advocate for at-risk youth. Pezo is the founder of Pain On Paper (P.O.P), a youth development and life skills program that teaches young people to redirect anger, pain, and trauma into Rap, Art, Poetry, and Songs (R.A.P.S).
A certified anger management specialist with over 20 years of experience, Pezo has counseled youth in juvenile detention centers, group homes, alcohol and drug treatment centers, and community programs across Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. His comprehensive curriculum has reached over 347 youth participants — and counting.
An award-winning radio personality for over 19 years across Atlanta, Virginia Beach, Durham-Raleigh, Columbia, and Gainesville — Pezo worked full time on air while simultaneously counseling youth in every city he lived in. In 2006 he created the award-winning "Mixtape Movie," featuring DMX, Rick Ross, Mary J. Blige, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and others in an innovative audio storytelling format.
Pezo returned to Virginia for kidney transplant surgery — giving one of his own kidneys to his mother. He recovered and immediately returned to the work. That is the kind of man leading this program.
-Make an Impact
Every dollar sponsors a child's healing journey
Your tax-deductible donation funds P.O.P curriculum, music workshops, and creative programs for youth who need it most.