Mission

Ubuntu Village fights for social, economic, and transformational justice for children and communities. We work primarily with families of youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system. We help families advocate for their rights and those of their children by educating them and helping them navigate the juvenile system. At Ubuntu, we believe that those directly affected by incarceration should be at the forefront of efforts to reform the system. We work with parents and young people to conduct participatory action research, analyze inequities in the juvenile justice system, and advocate for changes that would make the system more humane, antiracist, rehabilitative, and just. In all our programming, we prioritize providing immediate economic opportunities to participants and families as well as developing strategies for long-term economic sustainability.

Vision

“Ubuntu” is a South African word that means “I am because we are.” In other words, we become our fullest selves through our investment in our communities, our families, and our children. At Ubuntu, we believe that we need to work together as a community to support families and children, create economically sustainable solutions, promote education, innovation, and creativity, and foster transformational justice. We ground our approach in unity, self-determination, collective work, responsibility, purpose, and creativity.

Ubuntu is a village that connects young people and families to resources as well as a space to reflect and to grow. Together, we work toward imagining and creating a world in which all children are empowered to pursue their goals and all families have the economic resources to support them. Through tackling issues like juvenile justice, mass incarceration, racism, unemployment, trauma, joblessness, individualism, and divisiveness, we work toward more just and equitable solutions that enable people confronted with multiple oppressions to overcome them in unity.