We want young people to know that they are part of a caring community and come from a rich cultural heritage! That’s why we provide mentoring and cultural programming for incarcerated youth in New Orleans – both at the city’s juvenile jail, the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (JJIC), and the nearest juvenile state prison, the Bridge City Center for Youth (BCCY).
Our 12-week mentoring curriculum, facilitated by formerly-incarcerated people who have become leaders in the community, focuses on understanding mass incarceration and other interlocking systems of oppression, particularly in the New Orleans context. We help young people plan for a future beyond incarceration using realistic goal setting and family re-connection.
At JJIC, we also offer programming that allows youth to develop their social-emotional skills through the mediums of theater and dance.
We also host quarterly family holiday meals to promote family connections, allow stakeholders a forum for recognizing young people’s unique talents, and let incarcerated youth know that they are not forgotten.