AFJ Participant Spotlight: Donald

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At Avenues for Justice (AFJ), we provide individualized support to Court-Involved and At-Risk young people through our HIRE Up program, offering court advocacy and enrichment opportunities at our community centers in Harlem and the Lower East Side. We know that change does not happen in isolation; instead it requires a strong network of support. Programming at AFJ is extended to the families and friends of our Participants. By engaging a young person’s full circle in services such as mentoring, financial literacy, and job readiness, we help prevent future justice involvement and lay the groundwork for long-term success.

Donald was introduced to AFJ by his older brother, Barrack, who was mandated through Manhattan’s Family Court Diversion program in 2023. Facing a felony charge at the age of 13, Barrack utilized AFJ’s services, attending daily workshops at the Harlem community center and working closely with his Court Advocate at the time, Shantel. Within two months of adhering to his individualized action plan and keeping curfew, his case was dismissed. Barrack found a safe space at AFJ, and he wanted to share it with his younger brother.

The AFJ team was very mindful of integrating Donald into age-appropriate programming when he first started attending our Harlem community center as a middle schooler. Building on the success of Participants like Cameron, who started coming to AFJ at the age 12 with his older brother and quickly flourished, we tailored the first year of Donald's experience at AFJ to focus on tutoring and mentorship. He began spending time in the computer lab working on his homework assignments with Court Advocates Julia and Jalil. As his grades improved, his confidence grew, and he soon began attending workshops, where his leadership qualities stood out.

Since March 2024, Donald has participated in over 60 workshops, including Teen Empowerment, Legal Rights and Responsibilities, and the Debate Team. Despite being younger than most of his peers, he is one of AFJ’s most engaged Participants. Donald motivates and uplifts others, especially those who might be struggling to stay focused. He was recently nominated to join our Leadership Council by Court Advocate Jalil. He continues to impress the AFJ team, workshop facilitators, and other Participants with his insight, poise, and communication skills. While he learns valuable lessons from older Participants, his presence also gives them an opportunity to guide him away from some of the peer pressures that they have faced. AFJ’s Manager of Court Advocacy, Brian Stanley, sees this dynamic as an essential ingredient to the program’s success.

“We are working with Court-involved youth from the community, but family, friends, and neighbors are part of the fabric of the lives of these young people; we must be connected to that network. It allows us to extend our services to young people who are indeed at-risk, and it can be preventative to be engaged in a positive, safe space as opposed to being exposed to something negative. It allows us to prevent the Donald's of the world from coming to the center with a court mandate.” ~AFJ’s Manager of Court Advocacy Brian Stanley

“AFJ helps you become the person you want to be in the future. They offer tutoring, and if you’re struggling, they help you get to where you need to be in school through tutoring and the workshops. They’ve taught me how to avoid going down the wrong path.” ~AFJ Participant Donald

“It is a privilege to coach Donald on AFJ’s debate team. At 13 years old, he is the youngest member of our team, yet very promising. He is bright, humble, and teachable. Among many things, he provides us with hope that the future will be bright. In this sense, he is a true representation of what it means when one says a society’s most valuable resource is its youth.” ~Reggie Chatman, Debate Team Facilitator

Donald’s story is a powerful reminder of the importance of preventive services and a testament to what’s possible when we provide youth with support and a continuum of care. At AFJ, we’re proud to empower future leaders such as Donald as they find their voices, uplift others, and stay on course to success.