The Justice Ambassadors Youth Council is excited to be a recipient of an NBA Foundation Grant, which is an opportunity to further propel the organization's mission of empowering criminal legal system-impacted youth and addressing critical community issues in New York City. "We are honored to receive support from the NBA Foundation, a recognition of the significance of our work in addressing New York’s most pressing challenges surrounding mass incarceration, poverty, and gun violence. This opportunity strengthens our policy-making, leadership platform that centers youth as subject matter experts and advocates for social change," said Jarrell E. Daniels, Founder and Executive Director of Justice Ambassadors."This grant will amplify our efforts to address systemic inequality and promote holistic community development."
The Justice Ambassadors program was developed by Jarrell E. Daniels in collaboration with the Center for Justice at Columbia University and with support from government officials across numerous agencies. An Open Society Youth Activist fellow, Truman Scholar and Columbia University graduate, Jarrell envisioned the program as a way to bridge the divide between government and marginalized communities by bringing policy makers together with vulnerable youth to work across differences to co-author policy solutions intended to advance system reform and drive community change. Jarrell was inspired to create the Justice Ambassadors program after taking his first college course alongside prosecutors, while incarcerated at Queensboro Correctional Facility, at the conclusion of his six year prison sentence. As he discussed in his TED Talk, it was through this experience that he came to believe that, “through education we will arrive at a truth that is inclusive and unites us in a pursuit of justice”.
Held over the course of twelve weeks, the Justice Ambassadors Program components are:
- Personal Change - participants identify an aspect of themselves they wish to change.
- Community Change - youth present at NYC agencies and centers to advocate for community change.
- Social Change - youth and government officials co-author policy proposals to address adverse social conditions.
“Youth advocacy is crucial to the city’s investment in public safety. Initiatives like the Justice Ambassadors Youth Council epitomize our city’s commitment to engaging street- and justice-involved young adults with resources to become effective advocates for violence prevention,” said Deanna Logan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. “Youth are experts at measuring the effectiveness of key systems that impact their lives. We are grateful for opportunities to connect them with policymakers to address challenges with crime by designing programs like Project Restore to provide comprehensive support services.”
