About two years ago, when Xochtil Larios was in Alameda County Juvenile Hall in San Leandro, she decided to do more than just participate in classes and programs. “I didn’t feel like it was enough for me. I felt like the girls in there deserved better,” she said. During a session on vision boarding, Larios met staff members from Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), an Oakland nonprofit that works to empower young people affected by the criminal justice system.

At CURYJ, young people use restorative justice practices to address issues of violence in their communities and to learn how to better communicate to resolve conflicts. Restorative justice is based on the idea that giving people the tools to reconcile is a better form of rehabilitation than a focus on punishment and incarceration. In Juvenile Hall, CURYJ builds relationships with young people in order to offer them support when they are released. The nonprofit also hires formerly incarcerated youth to lead their organizing efforts.

Larios’ leadership role caught the staffers’ attention—she emceed events, coordinated activities and helped design artwork for programs. CURYJ staff told Larios that once she got out of the hall, they wanted her to come work with them. At first, Larios, who is now 19, was skeptical. She said getting a job doing the work she cared about seemed a little too good to be true. But the more she talked with the CURYJ staff, the more she felt like they valued her voice. “They’re not acting like they’re too good for us,” she recalled. Over the next few months, she kept seeing them come back to juvenile hall—at a Cinco de Mayo event, at a resource fair.

To read the full article written by Wyatt Kroopf, click HERE