Avenues for Justice
100 Centre Street, Room 1541
New York, NY 10013
info@avenuesforjustice.org
©Copyright 2022 Avenues for Justice. All rights reserved.
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AFJ offers Northstar Digital Literacy software with over 70 levels of self-paced study and certification available at each level, supplemented by weekly online group instruction and testing led by our Court Advocates.
With the success of our certification programming in 2024, AFJ will continue to offer OSHA Safety Education and Training program, along with the Flagger and Scaffold User Training, quarterly; alternating between centers. Our Adult CPR/AED training will also be offered through our partnership with the New York Junior League (NYJL). Along with our certifications, AFJ is determined to provide our Participants with the skills and tools needed to navigate technology for professional advancement through our Digital Literacy component. In 2025, AFJ added an onsite Security certification training in partnership with S&S Security Training and Services.
Launched in September 2020, corporate partners facilitate job readiness and financial literacy training with mock interviews; resume writing; basics of budgeting, bank and credit accounts; dress for success; and mentoring. The program includes guest speakers who are successful in unconventional careers and job structures (work for hire, freelance, project-based work) to expand the idea of a career. AFJ will also offer a new Job Readiness 101 workshop that will be delivered monthly. Partners since the launch include JPMorgan Chase, First Republic Bank, Island Capital Group, New York Junior League, the Whitney Museum, and Slickdeals.
In partnership with AFJ corporate partner BlackRock, we have begun offering coding classes for our Participants. The class is intended to bridge the equity gap in STEM education through computer science, project-based learning, and teamwork. AFJ wants to help our Participants understand that computer programming can be used as a tool for empowerment. Participants will start with website design and move on to more complex coding platforms like Python. Our new facilitator focuses on individualized attention but also puts a high value on self-motivation.
In addition to offering coding courses, AFJ has expanded its relationship with BlackRock from quarterly Job Readiness round-robins where Participants receive personal attention on three important factors of their hiring journey: resumes, cover letters, and mock interviews to offering financial literacy for our Participants and their families to ensure an understanding of their financial needs and well-being.
The 2025 8-week paid internship series will continue to support, educate, and equip all AFJ Participants of working age and those under 18 striving for financial, professional, and personal success while fostering valuable skills and experiences for long-term employment. We are excited to continue the structured internship placement program comprising three cohorts of 12 interns, with cohorts in February, May, and October. Eligibility will be determined by their participation in our 8-day job readiness curriculum. Upon completion of the curriculum, AFJ interns will engage in 8-week placements within community-based businesses, receiving a competitive hourly stipend paid by AFJ.
To ensure comprehensive coverage, the summer months will be supported by the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The goal is to place 30 Participants in this internship initiative by the end of the year. By participating in this program, AFJ Participants will not only enhance their job readiness but also gain exposure to employment opportunities that may arise beyond the initial 8-week period.
In 2025, AFJ will continue to build out its mental health component. In partnership with AFJ’s full-time in-house Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) we will continue to develop critical mental health services for Participants and staff. This year, AFJ has revamped our former Mental Health 101 workshop, now offering Life Skills Management. The workshop is a foundational requirement for all Participants, and provides an introductory mental health overview, including common terminology and definitions in mental health discussions, common causes of mental health challenges and trauma, the importance of combating stigma and self-stigmatization, and basic coping skills. These sessions, led by our in-house LCSW, guide Participants in identifying challenges and exploring positive coping strategies. Follow-up workshops, as well as individual, group, and family counseling address issues raised during orientation.
AFJ will offer one-on-one counseling, available through our in-house LCSW as well as through our service agreement with Muse & Grace. These partnerships will eliminate waiting lists and payment barriers for AFJ participants. AFJ is excited to welcome back The Art Therapy Project (TATP). TATP will be offering an eight-week art therapy group that will be offered at both community centers, alternating quarterly. Bi-lingual and culturally competent workshops on parenting and family therapy concepts are offered to caregivers of Participants through a therapist and the Ackerman Institute for the Family.
Teen Empowerment: Our Teen Empowerment workshop has become a popular safe place for our young people to express, develop, and hone their activist voice through knowledge, conversation, and action. There is power within sharing conversation, so we have decided to alternate the in-person workshop quarterly to a designated center whilst also continuing to offer the workshop on a hybrid platform for those Participants who are unable to commute to our centers.
Court Advocates have emphasized the importance of attending Teen Empowerment to Participants and as a result, AFJ has seen an incredible increase in attendance with Teen Empowerment proving it to be AFJ’s most popular weekly workshop.
Legal Rights & Responsibilities: Legal Rights & Responsibilities: Led by Manager of Court Advocacy, Brian, AFJ will continue the Legal Rights &Responsibilities workshop which is a weekly series aimed at educating Participants on their legal rights and responsibilities, criminal law, the criminal and juvenile court process, and collateral consequences. All incoming Participants are required to attend at least one workshop to inform them of their legal proceedings. In 2025, AFJ will build on our workshops by offering new opportunities to engage, including debate, healthy eating, and gender-specific workshops to meet the needs of our growing population of women among our Participants. AFJ’s new gender-responsive programming includes “She Means Business,” an 8-week entrepreneurship workshop, and Girls Coding 101, a one-day workshop hosted by BlackRock.
Leadership: A volunteer facilitator will teach a new initiative involving a cohort consisting of 5 to 8 Participants, embarking on a transformative journey focused on the "Framework of Becoming a Leader. Throughout this 10-week course, Participants will delve into essential principles such as punctuality, integrity, team development, conflict resolution, project management, and facilitation. These core concepts lay the groundwork for cultivating effective leadership skills. Upon successful completion of the course, individuals will not only emerge as capable leaders, but also have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in instructing and guiding the subsequent cohort.
Mentoring is available to all participants and their families 24/7, as well as referrals to other needed services including substance abuse recovery.
Currently, Avenues for Justice maintains a bank of 60+ volunteers, including tutors, who help AFJ Participants with schoolwork, exams, and admissions forms to complete high school and advance to college. In 2025, AFJ will continue offering opportunities for volunteers to lead workshops to prepare Participants for careers and provide mentorship for healthy socialization. Volunteers also coach Participants through our HIRE Up programs.
