Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Edwin Desamour lived a life similar to many youth who are currently living in the city. These experiences have ultimately led him down a path that has caused him to see both significant difficulty and blinding hope. It is these experiences, both the positive and negative, that have inspired him to pursue a career that has brought him back to his community to empower and serve the youth who are growing up where he did.

As a young man growing up in Philadelphia, Edwin experienced many difficulties, which ultimately led him to falling victim to the struggles of the streets where he grew up. After overcoming almost insurmountable odds, Edwin made it his personal mission to support young men experiencing the same struggles he did as a teenager. Through involvement with Philadelphia Anti-Drug Anti-Violence Network (PAAN), Women Organized Against Rape (WOAR), and Congreso, he was able to use his skills and knowledge to support his community by becoming a role model and an advocate for Juvenile Justice. He has, in his own words, become the man for others that he needed when he was a teen.