Having recently graduated our 2013 cohort, the Justice Community Program had the opportunity to reflect on some of
the amazing experiences we shared with the Brownsville Anti-Violence Project,
the Brownsville Youth Court, B.O.L.T.S., and all of the amazing young people
taking advantage of the programs at the Brownsville Community Justice Center.
Participants from each of these
programs had a myriad of experiences with the Brownsville Justice Community
Program. Participants attended free
screenings of powerful films such as Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station and Justin Chadwick’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. We also enjoyed the excitement of Fright Fest
at Six Flags Great Adventure, the Big Apple Circus’ Luminocity, and a variety
of enlightening workshops, field trips, and trainings.
One of our trips was a college tour
at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.
For some participants, this was the first time they stepped foot on a
college campus. For others, visiting
Rutgers was an opportunity to compare Rutgers to other campuses they have
visited in Brooklyn.
Justice Community participants were
able to sit in classrooms, see dormitories, and interact with currently
enrolled students. Getting a first-hand
experience of what it is like to be a college student in lecture style
classrooms and seeing the living accommodations made some of the students feel
more connected to the college experience. Alonzo, a Justice Community
participant who is currently preparing for the SATs and filling out his FAFSA
forms commented, “I pictured what it would be like, but it’s exciting to see
what it’s actually like.”
Justice Community participants were
also able to visit the student center and eat lunch in student cafes, see works
of art in the student art gallery, and view the activities center where they
saw the numerous student groups, fraternities, sororities, and activities that college
students explore. Justice Community
participants were able to see students studying in the student lounge while watching
flat screen televisions and sipping coffee from the in house Starbucks. Justice Community participants
enthusiastically commented, “I can do this!”