Services - Youth Justice Network

Our Model Our Services Youth Advocacy Miller Center for Special Mitigation Law Library Center for Education Center for Arts and Culture Career Services Center Shifting Gears™ Youth Leadership Arches Friends to Fathers Family Matters Books to Jails

Our Model

At Youth Justice Network, everyone has a someone.

Our model is structured on trusting relationships that drive positive outcomes forward. Whether we meet our participants in a jail, in court, or in the community, each participant has a Youth Advocate who facilitates their growth and development. Everyone we serve has someone they can count on.

We build relationships of trust, honesty, and respect. From the moment participants meet with a Advocate, we remain in their corner, with no start and end dates.

Our program hubs are peaceful, safe spaces where young people can learn to be themselves, access opportunities, and grow into healthy, independent, thriving community leaders.

If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please reach out.

Through our services, young people can access the opportunities they’ve been systemically denied, so they have tools they need to make radical change in their lives and communities.

Youth Advocacy Miller Center for Special Mitigation Law Library Center for Education Center for Arts and Culture Career Services Center Shifting Gears™ Youth Leadership Arches Friends to Fathers Family Matters Books to Jails

Youth Advocacy

Young people meet Youth Advocates in custody, in the courts, or in their communities. Advocates provide long-term mentorship and support with day-to-day needs, so youth can leverage their own resilience and develop skills to heal, grow and thrive. Youth members can count on their Advocates for help with accessing food, stable housing, career and academic advancement, and to support their health and wellbeing.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Felicia Mosley Smith

fsmith@youthjustice.org

Miller Center for Special Mitigation

The Miller Center for Special Mitigation is where and how our advocacy intersects with the courts. We work with defense counsel at key points along the case process to minimize a young person's time spent in jail, and to reduce the system's reliance on youth incarceration.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Tasneem Yoosufali

tyoosufali@youthjustice.org

Law Library

Our team offers legal information to young detainees ages 13-19 who are held at Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Centers to enable them to participate more fully in their own defense. Library staff help young people gain a better understanding of the case process, terminology, and facilitate communication between them and their attorneys. The Law Library team does not provide legal advice or assistance.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Laurie Parise

lparise@youthjustice.org

Center for Education

At the Center for Education, our educators create a safe space for students to take ownership of and build confidence in their education journey. Young people prepare to pass the TASC (high school equivalency exam) and take classes to develop math, reading comprehension, and writing skills. Students can also connect with our broader network of Advocates and services to continue on their education pathways.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Tina Lee

tlee@youthjustice.org

Center for Arts and Culture

Individually and in groups, participants create textiles, murals, photo and video, and perform in music and spoken word events. Through the Center for Arts and Culture, youth members heal, find peace, inspire, and express their creativity.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Anthony DeJesus

adejesus@youthjustice.org

Career Services Center

Through the Career Services Center, youth members learn the skills they need to thrive in the workplace and access opportunities to paid internships and jobs, so they can grow into financially independent young adults.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Kevin Green

kgreen@youthjustice.org

Shifting Gears™

Shifting Gears™ is a mobile career and advocacy bus that drives deep into neighborhoods across NYC where young people are most policed and most jailed. Shifting Gears™ works to reverse the economic impacts of Covid-19 and increases in gun violence by driving job resources, credible messengers, and a network of experienced advocates directly into NYC neighborhoods.

For more information or to find out when the bus will be in your neighborhood, contact: Jack Powers

jpowers@youthjustice.org

Youth Leadership

Youth impacted by the justice system are best equipped to become changemakers in the field. Through our Outreach and Youth Leadership program, young people serve as peer mentors and play an important role in guiding programming and services. They have opportunities for civic and community engagement, and emerge as community leaders who will drive change.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Marc Washington

mwashington@youthjustice.org

Arches

Arches pairs young people serving probation sentences with credible messenger mentors whose personal and professional experiences put them in a unique position to build long-term, caring, supportive relationships with youth. Through on-going mentorship, community-building, and cognitive-behavioral supports, youth members in the program renew their hope, foster positive wellbeing, and work to transform their lives.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Marc Washington

mwashington@youthjustice.org

Friends to Fathers

Friends to Fathers supports fathers who have been involved with the justice and child welfare systems and who don’t have custody of their children. We work with fathers to develop parenting skills, address domestic violence issues, and help them achieve their goals of becoming healthy, dependable, engaged and supportive parents. For more information or to make a referral, contact:

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Robert DeJesus

rdejesus@youthjustice.org

Family Matters

Family Matters supports parents and guardians of children who have pending delinquency cases in Manhattan Family Court, to connect them to resources for their children, and support them throughout the court process. Parent Coaches help families navigate and understand the delinquency process, stay informed about court dates, and ultimately serve to provide emotional support and access to resources to help keep their children out of the justice system.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Bernard Shepherd

bshepherd@youthjustice.org

Books to Jails

Powered by community-based donations and partnerships with local bookstores, Books to Jails brings books to young people in custody. Our youth members specifically request titles, or we tailor our selections to their interests and concerns, bringing access to the joy, comfort, knowledge, and escapism of books to those behind bars.

For more information or to make a referral, contact: Kiana Marsan

kmarsan@youthjustice.org

Join Our Fight

Stand in solidarity with our mission to break cycles of inequality and fight systemic racism by giving young people the opportunities they have been denied. Join our community, and together we can make a difference.

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