Youth Advocacy Council

Since 2015, Restorative Justice Initiative has been educating, advocating and connecting New Yorkers who dream of new models for achieving justice, healing and accountability for harm (interpersonal and systemic). Restorative justice is a philosophy and practice—based on indigenous values—that addresses harm and conflict by centering relationships. 

We are seeking to raise $20,000 to expand and develop our Youth Advocacy Council (YAC). Restorative Justice Initiative’s Youth Advocacy Council (YAC) develops the participation and leadership of youth within the restorative justice movement through a cohort program focusing on skill-building and advocacy. The program is now in its second year, with a cohort of 5, NYC-based, young women of color and gender expansive youth between the ages of 15 and 20. 

In the Fall of 2024 we will launch the second cohort of the YAC, and we would like to hire two members of the current cohort to serve as part-time YAC Coordinators to work alongside our Senior Coordinator of Training and Youth Programming. This is an incredibly talented group and we are looking to create a pipeline that will allow some of them to take on a greater leadership role within the restorative justice movement in New York City.  

7/1/24: post Youth Advocacy Council Coordinator job descriptions

7/22/24 - 7/31/24: conduct interviews with top applicants

8/1/24: make offers

9/3/24: YAC Coordinators begin 10-month contract by welcoming new YAC cohort

9/4/24 - 6/30/24: New YAC cohort will meet bi-weekly with RJI staff. The YAC Coordinators will co-facilitate political education sessions, select and pair new YAC members with community mentors, and support skill-building in circle keeping and facilitation.

We launched the YAC because when we participated in youth organizing to end New York City’s school-to-prison-pipeline (which includes advocating for restorative practices in schools), we observed  that most of the youth advocating for restorative practices had limited understanding and experience with them. Conversely, we realized that most of the youth who were being exposed to restorative practices in NYC public schools, were not developing the advocacy skills necessary to fight to sustain and expand these programs. The YAC addresses this gap by cultivating young leaders who are both skilled practitioners and skilled advocates. At the same time, the YAC addresses isolation and disconnection by cultivating community and belonging.