Avenues for Justice
100 Centre Street, Room 1541
New York, NY 10013
(917) 689-3785
©Copyright 2022 Avenues for Justice. All rights reserved.
At Avenues for Justice (AFJ), we are dedicated to creating opportunities which pave the way for our Participants' long-term success. In 2023, we launched our inaugural internship initiative placing Participants in two cohorts (Spring and Fall) for 8-week paid internships. Spearheaded by AFJ’s Job Developer, Shantel Brooks, with lead support from Court Advocate, Julia Price, the HIRE Up job training program has opened career paths in various industries. This week, we want to highlight the impact of these internships, along with our work readiness program partners who are guiding our Participants toward long-term employment.
Celsious Laundry HQ, located in Brooklyn, exemplifies the success of our program. Not only did they extend internship placement for two AFJ interns for an extra four weeks, but they also subsequently hired star intern, Nathaniel, for a permanent position. When Shantel and Julia envisioned the internship program, their primary goal was for placements to lead to long-term employment. After a positive experience working with an AFJ intern in last year’s fall cohort, Celsious returned this year to partner with us again. Given the strengths of the two AFJ Participants, Celsious, similar to Yummy Tummy’s Kitchen, tailored their positions to maximize the workplace experience they gained.
AFJ Intern, Jaelyn, excelled in a client-facing role. The second intern, Nathaniel, thrived in maintenance where he learned the business side of operations. Corinna Williams, Co-Founder of Celsious, was impressed by Nathaniel’s professionalism, especially being just 17 years old. His punctuality, eagerness to learn, and reliability made him a standout employee. As a result, Corinna extended his internship for an extra four weeks, and decided to use the extra time as a trial for long-term employment. Nathaniel will start his part-time job next week and will work after school during his senior year in September.
Corinna is proud to support young people who have had involvement in the criminal justice system by giving them a chance in her business. She emphasizes that “professionalism, punctuality, respectfulness, and teamwork” are more important than an individual’s mistakes. Jaelyn and Nathaniel have been nothing short of spectacular in all these areas.
The second employment partnership that we would like to highlight this week is Sprouts Chef Training. Based in San Francisco, Sprouts Chef Training partners with local organizations, such as AFJ, schools, and other referral programs to guide youth who have experienced hardship to employment opportunities in the restaurant industry. Young people are paired with a chef mentor and case manager to develop the skills needed to secure and maintain a culinary job. Graduates use their entry-level jobs to kickstart culinary careers. AFJ is thrilled to be a part of their pilot program in New York City!
Over the past eight weeks, three AFJ Participants have been placed at different restaurants throughout the city. One of AFJ’s star pupils with Sprouts is Dio. Dio is paired with Michelin-star restaurant Musket Room, where he has excelled at mastering kitchen skills. When he first walked through the doors at the Musket Room, he was extremely nervous. However, after meeting his team members, he discovered that there were a few other peers from the Dominican Republic like him. This connection instantly helped Dio overcome any doubts he previously had about fitting in. Dio looks forward to applying his experience to one day owning his own restaurant. The other two interns are Sarai, paired with Raf’s, a high-end French bakery and restaurant in the Lower East Side and Chelsea, paired with The Nourish Spot, a salad and juice spot in Queens.
The success of our Participants at Celsious and Sprouts Chef Training demonstrates the professionalism and dedication they bring when given the right opportunity.
If you own a local business and would be interested in partnering with Avenues for Justice Participants in our next internship cohort, please email AFJ’s Job Developer Shantel Brooks at sbrooks@avenuesforjustice.org.
If you own a restaurant and would be interested in being a placement facility for Sprouts Chef Training to help young people, like AFJ’s population, please email Hannah Rubino at hannah@sproutscheftraining.org.
