Youth Empowerment
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Young people are the hope of our nation and our world. The values we instill in them must be reflective of the way we would like ourselves and our society ideally to be. Our youth programs aim to instill in participants a sense of self-worth, respect for differences, and an aptitude for community service and leadership.
Project RESPECT
Since 1995, Project RESPECT (formerly Anytown) has been engaging young people through a process of self-discovery and intentional community building. Designed as a residential leadership institute for young people between the ages of 14 and 19, Project RESPECT is a life-changing experience for students ready to explore their identities and challenge their privilege.
Over the course of the week, delegates dive into issues of privilege and oppression; forge life-long friendships; build confidence; and learn what it takes to create a world that is open and accepting of all cultures, ethnic groups, faiths/religions, and genders.
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Cost & Scholarships
The cost to attend Project RESPECT is over $1,000 per delegate. This helps cover the cost of food, lodging, supplies, and staffing. We understand this may be a hardship for some families to afford and work hard to make sure scholarships are readily available. Please do not let cost be a factor in your decision to apply to participate in this life-changing week.
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Youth Action Council (YAC)
After camp, we encourage all delegates to stay engaged in their leadership development by joining RICJ’s Youth Action Council (YAC). The YAC engages youth during the academic year. Delegates build on what they learned during Project RESPECT with the focus of turning passion for social justice into action for positive social change.
At YAC, our mission is simple yet powerful: to challenge and empower young minds to use their voices and take action. We believe in the potential of our youth to bring about positive social change through community building and open dialogue about social justice.
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YAC starts on the second Tuesday of September and ends on the second Tuesday of June. The after school program is youth-led and engages in at least one educational event and one entertainment event per month. The youth meet weekly and work on civic engagement project or campaign. Any questions, please e-mail Sharlene at sharlene@ricj.org.
Youth Facilitating for Change (YFC)
Youth Facilitating for Change (YFC) is an intensive, six-week summer jobs program—funded through the City of Providence—in which professional RICJ facilitators train and certify youth as peer-to-peer social justice facilitators. Over the course of the summer, our Youth Facilitators work to develop the skills necessary to lead dialogue around important issues in their communities, uplift the voices of those seldom heard, and represent their own ideas and narratives in meaningful ways through workshops and community conversations.
Usually, the program dates are mid July to mid August contingent of funding, application is open to youth aged 14-20 who is looking for summer employment; twenty hours per week. The first two weeks of the program include workplace readiness training, identifying leadership styles, and an introduction to social justice and facilitation; the middle weeks focused on selecting social justice workshop topics in small groups, scheduling public workshops, and preparing an original facilitation guide; and the final weeks are geared toward Youth Facilitators leading social justice-informed, dialogue-based workshops for peers and adults in other job training programs, nonprofits and agencies, and the larger RICJ and Providence community.
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If you or your organization are interested in participating in a youth-led social justice workshop in the future, please e-mail Rose at rose@ricj.org. We would love to partner with you!
Career Training and Restorative Justice Summer Program (CTRJ)
Career Training and Restorative Justice Summer Program is a 4-week career exploration job in which youth (16 - 23) will explore social justice issues and train as Restorative Justice practitioners. Youth will build their portfolios with guidance from staff, learn from professionals in different career paths, and go on field trips to different cultural institutions. Additionally, through mentorship, they will build on skills to prepare them for the workplace and life post high school. To be eligible, youth must have displayed interest in DEI work, be a RI resident, and interested to learn about various jobs.
