Two Brownsville Justice Community Program Graduations In One Week

The Brownsville Justice Community Program graduated two separate groups of young people in one week. The first group was a part of our Justice Community Main program, a program for young people who live in the larger Brownsville community. The second group was a part of the Marcus Garvey Justice Community program, a program for young people who live in Marcus Garvey, a development located in Brownsville. Both groups worked extremely hard at their goals and also learned some new things that they can take with them. While both groups spent most of their time in their respective tracks of interest based learning, they also spent time giving back to their community and making powerful changes throughout.

Justice Community graduates and alumni across programs from Brownsville, Crown Heights, and Bed-Stuy return from their graduation trip to Six Flags Great Adventure

Justice Community main learned some awesome skills in the interest-based learning tracks that were offered. Some young people choose to work in the ReelWorks track, a track facilitated by ReelWorks staff that taught young people the ins and outs of filmography. Another track that was offered was the Young Adult Entrepreneurship track. In this track young people learned the basics of starting their own businesses by working closely with an experienced entrepreneur. The Community Benefit Projects track took a spin this go round, by working with landscaping and designing Brownsville's own MGV Pops lot on Mother Gaston Boulevard.

Participants in the ReelWorks track celebrating the premiere of their documentaries at the New York Institute of Technology

Participants in the Community Benefit Projects track touch up the facade of a local business on Belmont Avenue.

Ciara, a participant in the Young Adult Entrepreneurship Program track, plots and explains her business plan.

Meanwhile in Marcus Garvey, the young people worked hard at tackling the issues around public safety working closely with BCJC staff and Made in Brownsville, an organization that works with youth to create a future vision for their community through advocacy and education. The Marcus Garvey Justice Community program was the first in its kind. Offering this opportunity to young people specific to one development gave those young people the skills and the know how to create positive changes in their community. Even though this group of young people have graduated, they will continue to be positive agents of change in Marcus Garvey and the larger Brownsville Community. 

Justice Community participants from Marcus Garvey Village present their vision for the future of their development to students and architects from Columbia University.

Justice Community Participants from Marcus Garvey Village present their visions for the future of their development to the Marcus Garvey Village Tenant Association.

Congratulations to our newest Justice Community Graduates!