Youth Justice

Last weekend, 70 youth came together for the second annual Youth Unite! Conference at the YWCA in Brooklyn. With workshops, an open mic, a community dinner, and more, it was a powerful event that left participants feeling unified in their shared goals.

In a surprise announcement this week the Mayor indicated that the projected 10-year timeline to closer Rikers Island may be shortened as he and newly appointed City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced a public review process of four alternate detention facility sites near local courthouses. 

Today, together with criminal justice advocates across New York State, we are celebrating a landmark reform victory: the State Legislature has passed legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18-years-old. 

All across New York City, criminal justice advocates and organizers are celebrating one of the biggest victories in recent memory: the Mayor’s announcement of a plan to close Rikers Island by 2027.

Today, with the support of 19 other private, public and community foundations, we are sending a letter to New York elected officials urging them to Raise the Age of criminal responsibility in our state. 

Restorative approaches to conflict have a long history rooted in cultural healing of indigenous communities. Yet, the use of restorative approaches to building community and repairing harm is relatively new in U.S. schools. Educators across the nation have many unanswered questions about best practices for introducing restorative justice (RJ) to their communities, building sustained engagement with school discipline reform, and eradicating disparities in exclusionary school discipline.

Grants total $1,915,000, bringing the Foundation’s funding for youth-serving nonprofits in Brooklyn to $2.3 million in 2016.

Join us for a special screening of Ava DuVernay's important, thought-provoking documentary, 13th, co-presented with Brooklyn Academy of Music's BAMCinematek.

Brooklyn Community Foundation mourns the passing of Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, the first African American to hold the position, who has served our borough since January 2014. 

Last month, Brooklyn Community Foundation was privileged to host the great Fania Davis on a visit to Brooklyn to meet the schools and community-based organizations partnering with us in our Brooklyn Restorative Justice Project.