Essex County Program Helps Youth Avoid School-To-Prison Pipeline

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — They’re teens and young adults with promise and potential, not “damaged goods.” And they deserve a fresh start. That’s the philosophy of the Urban Youth Reentry Program (UYRP), a social justice effort from the Urban League of Essex County that aims to put a dent in the school-to-prison pipeline.

Recently, the nonprofit began accepting applications for its program, which helps empower justice-involved youth ages 18 to 24 with new career paths, financial education and a chance for a new beginning.

The program recently got a big boost from a $562,000 grant from the National Urban League. It’s being rolled out in partnership with Essex County College in Newark.

“Unfortunately, there’s not many opportunities for these young people when they’re coming home – it’s right back to the streets,” said Donnell Hill, program manager of Urban League’s Urban Youth Reentry Program.

“Our goal is to completely cut off that recidivism pipeline and to offer a new pathway, a different direction,” Hill said. “We’re giving these youth a chance to live their lives again, a chance to see that they’re not damaged goods. And to see themselves become something greater than what they were.”

Here’s how the UYRP effort works:

“Essex County College will provide young people certifications in two workforce tracks: introduction to IT and A+ certification, as well as supply chain management, where youth learn the logistics behind managing warehouses, packaging, travel and customer service. They also provide academic classes like math construction and more. Students who complete the certificated supply chain course can apply to Essex County College’s associates track in supply chain management, which has starting salaries above $50,000 a year. Each course is limited to about 15 to 20 students.”

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” said Patricia Sermon, chief operating officer of the Urban League of Essex County. “We’ve created a pipeline where people come to us, increase their financial literacy and create their financial goals.”

The Urban League is actively recruiting young people for the Urban Youth Reentry Program. Email dhill@ulec.org to apply, or visit ulec.org to learn more about Urban League of Essex County and its programs in the Employment and Financial Education Center.

The Urban League of Essex County is a member of the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative, a collective approach to creating a "school-to-workforce pipeline."

“New Jersey’s system of youth incarceration has been failing young people for decades, particularly young people of color, their families and their communities,” said Robert Clark, CEO of the Newark Opportunity Youth Network, which supports the collaborative with data, strategy and fundraising.

“Research has shown that the state’s youth incarceration system does not reduce recidivism or increase public safety,” Clark said. “However, the Urban League and other community-based organizations that provide justice-involved youth with quality education and job training routinely achieve positive outcomes at a fraction of the cost of operating youth prisons.”

• See related article: Petty Crimes, Serious Time: Plug Prison Pipeline, Newark Advocate Says
• See related article: Teens Rally In Newark: 'Build Up Kids, Not Prisons'
• See related article: NJ Police Just Got 5 Tools To Help Juveniles Avoid Jail Time

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