Television Appearances
20 years ago I was on the fast track to prison. Since my release I've dedicated my life helping young men avoid going down the road I went down. 
The mistakes I made and the lessons I learned from them give me a unique background & perspective which are valuable tools I help parents, schools, criminal justice professionals, business  leaders and even city officials look for ways to inspire and assist their students, clients and employees. 
Recently Denver has been challenged with a increase of youth gun violence. As the City tries to find innovative solutions to the  youth gun violence Jonathan speaks about the role social media plays in escalating the violence. 
"Anything we can do on the front end to hopefully deter a young person from going further down into the criminal justice rabbit hole is necessary,” McMillan told CBS4’s Kelly Werthmann.
"Unfortunately, right now the criminal justice system may not necessarily be the best mechanism overall, but the best that we have. Programs like this gun court are an improvement upon that system, especially when they have a community voice.
It sounds like a lot of the right pieces are in there,” McMillan said, noting he attended Denver’s Safety Committee meeting Wednesday where this idea was presented. “I would just love to make sure that there’s oversight to make sure the fidelity of the community piece remains intact.” - Jonathan McMillan speaking on the City of Denver's proposed specialty court for juvenile gun cases
Always an advocate for youth and community voice, Jonathan helped arrange a youth town hall to provide a platform for Denver youth to share their perspectives and insights about what it driving youth violence and what solutions are needed.
Over 80 people showed up to hear what the young people most impacted and involved in the ongoing violence.
It is our duty as adults is to provide the necessary resources and support needed and to provide young people the opportunities to lead themselves and the community in the right direction.
Recently, Telemundo reached out to Jonathan to speak about strategies the community can use to reduce gun violence in their communities.
Youth and gun violence aren't specific to just the English speaking community and it's important that we advocate for every resident's safety and success regardless of their primary language, culture or even immigration status. 
Jonathan's commitment to the success of young people and his expertise on youth violence and gang prevention, intervention & suppression strategies make him a powerful speaker. Mayor Hancock invited Jonathan and others to his show "The Rest of the Story" and he spoke about the need for collaborative efforts to address the risk factors and social/emotional conditions which contribute to youth violence.

"IT IS OUR DUTY AS ADULTS IS TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES AND SUPPORT NEEDED AND TO PROVIDE YOUNG PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEAD THEMSELVES AND THE COMMUNITY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION." - JONATHAN MCMILLAN

PRINTED PRESS

"McMillan said he wants to be an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can’t be happy. “I want to be an inspiration to people in the way that Jesus was. He showed [and] taught people how to live a fulfilled life through His life.
“I tell people all the time that I love my life and it’s because I create and live a better than average life daily by being grateful, stepping out of my comfort zone, taking on challenges, [and] by having a concise solid plan of what it is I want to achieve. I have several goals,” continues McMillan. “I want people to look at my life and be able to say, ‘If he did it, I can do it.’" 
- Living Better than Average: Unfurling the Life & Times of Jonathan McMillan - Post Telegraph By Khaleel Hayes Posted Fri, Oct 7, 2016
​Jonathan McMillan has been on the front lines of working with Denver’s youth gang problem, and he says part of the problem is simply awareness.

“One of the things that frustrates me and that I find challenging is that unless it’s a mass shooting a lot of times youth gun violence flies under the radar,” McMillan said. “Those shootings always spark a conversation, one that needs to be had, but last year I had seven or eight kids that I had known … killed or involved in a shooting in some capacity. This is really the daily reality that a lot of families or communities are dealing with.
​- Denver Post Editorial: Too many Denver kids are dying from gun violence September 23, 2019 at 12:17 pm
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https://www.coloradotruJonathan McMillan spent years trying to overcome the stigma of a past criminal conviction when applying for jobs. New Colorado legislation aims to prevent initial job applications from inquiring about criminal records. Photo by Joe Mahoney / Special to The Colorado Trust st.org/content/story/removing-lifelong-scarlet-letter
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