Rhode Island for Community & Justice is a social justice nonprofit dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism and promoting understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. "It is our purpose to transform communities to be more inclusive and just by empowering people to lead institutional change. We are the voice that calls people to common ground, with respect for differences but with the understanding that people of all backgrounds have common values and needs that unite them."Through their adult and youth programming, RICJ works with students, teachers, clergy, corporate and civic leaders to facilitate workshops, develop curriculum, convene race relations and inter-religious dialogues, and provide consulting on challenges related to bias, bigotry and racism. Our current focus on youth programs and juvenile justice reforms is due largely to the organizations belief that today's teens are tomorrow's leaders, and through them is the only way to create long-lasting positive change in our communities.
After exploring the RICJ website I've learned so much about their organization and what they do/offer. This organization offers three types of programs. The programs offered are Youth Empowerment, Justice & Policy Reform and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Trainings. What I love most about their programming and organization is how much they value youth and their voice. They have several high school students who are youth coordinators for their organization which I think is very powerful! That tells me that they take the opinions and thoughts of young people seriously. I think this program is a great model of Social Justice Youth Development because within this organization both youth and adults work together to change/better the community and systems. Something I really liked about their organization is that they have a Youth Empowerment program where their youth leaders learn facilitation skills and work to build understanding across lines of differences in their communities. Reading about that program made me think of YDEV and how I feel empowered in YDEV spaces and how within my classes i'm learning the same skills.
Hi Andreya,
ReplyDeleteI really like your blog, it is beautiful and well-organized. Thanks for sharing some background information about RICJ, I did not know much about that organization. It is interesting that they offer different kinds of programming to work hand-to-hands with youth. It is awesome how important youth's voice is for their organization, to empower them and that they also practice social justice.
I loved your blog! I agree with Indira it is very well organized. I learned a lot about RICJ from your post and it seems like it’s a powerful organization. The overall thing that I enjoyed from reading this is that this organization works hands on with youth to practice social justice!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post Andreya. RICJ is new to me and I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of their website--reading between the lines to see how youth take up leadership positions in the space.
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