Avenues for Justice Congratulates Our Participants Graduating from High School!

At Avenues for Justice (AFJ),we prioritize education for all of our court-involved and at-risk Participants. Some of our Participants need to re-enroll in school and our Court Advocates are right there alongside them to navigate the educational system. Court Advocates will meet with school administrators and teachers to line up additional support and set expectations for regular attendance and academic performance. We will help Participants reacclimate with school and stay engaged. If there is an issue with negative influences at a Participant’s current school, AFJ explores transfer opportunities to alternative schools.

AFJ maintains a bank of 60 volunteers, including tutors, who provide homework assistance at our two community centers. Some Par­ticipants cannot or do not wish to return to high school, but want to obtain their diplo­mas. We match them with volunteer tutors who help prepare them for the subject content in the High School Equivalency(HSE) program. AFJ also assists Participants wanting to pursue degrees with college visits and our volunteer facilitators lead workshops for college, SAT, admissions and financial aid preparation.

One of our many HIRE Up programs that directly impacts educational success is Digital Literacy. Launched in 2020, combining self-paced online study with two of our Court Advocates providing onsite group instruction, AFJ saw sizeable increases in 2022 in the number of enrollees and certifications earned. In 2023, 90 Participants have enrolled in the rigorous program, covering over 70 different aptitude levels, with testing for certification available at the conclusion of each level. 305 certifications have been earned to date with Participants learning the basics of using computers, email, the internet, PC and Mac operating systems, remote learning how-to’s, and navigating Word and Excel spreadsheet applications.

AFJ is very proud of our six High School graduates for overcoming academic challenges to earn their diplomas this month! Court Advocates are already working with them on their next steps to higher education and employment. In addition to our high school graduates, two Participants are enrolled in college, two have entered trade school, four have started the HSE program and two Participants have re-enrolled in high school.

We invite you to celebrate their accomplishments by simply replying to this newsletter with words of encouragement. We will share your messages with our Participants!