In New York, the arrival of summer coincides with the end of our school year programs for young people. Accomplishments are celebrated during graduations and closing events but our Children, Youth, and Family Services programs continue to provide youth development opportunities throughout the summer.
At Osborne, we take seriously the development of innovative programs that support and uplift children facing challenges like parental incarceration. In this tradition, we launched a new youth development program in Newburgh, New York this July. Youth Experience Success! (YES!) Newburgh serves 13- to 19- year-olds living in Orange County affected by the opioid crisis, which can include parental involvement in the justice system. Starting from a foundation of grounded expertise acquired from our successful youth leadership development programs in Brooklyn, YES! Newburgh is forging its own path forward. Starting this summer, participants will take part in the program for three full years, learning new skills, building social networks and eventually designing and implementing outreach projects as Youth Ambassadors.
So far, the interest has been overwhelming, and we’ve increased the size of our initial cohort while adding a second group that will begin in October.
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The inaugural group of YES! Newburgh participants enjoy daily group activities, including painting sessions, gardening, and basketball games.
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Mass incarceration means that one out of 14 children in the United States has experienced a parent’s incarceration. Opioid use disorder affects more than 2 million people and their families in the United States annually. In schools, foster care, doctor’s offices, and elsewhere, the needs of young people affected by these issues are too often overlooked. We know, however, that these young people are committed, insightful advocates that have intimate knowledge they yearn to share. Osborne youth participants courageously champion policies that strengthen family connections and our youth programs center the strengths and creativity of all children.
August 4 will be a special day for our growing family of CYFS programs. For the first time, youth participants from YES! Newburgh will meet their counterparts from our Brooklyn based youth development programs and enjoy a day together at Coney Island’s amusement parks and beaches.
We can’t wait to see where the young people take YES! Newburgh - we know from experience that they will create something beautiful and meaningful.
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Opening Marcus Garvey:
A Dent in the Prison-to-Shelter Pipeline
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On June 22, we celebrated the opening of Osborne’s first supportive housing program, the Marcus Garvey housing complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The Gotham Gazette and Correctional News covered the opening of the newly constructed building which provides 52 new apartments for people who are reentering the community from incarceration and would otherwise be homeless or unstably housed.
Yasmin Hurston Cornelius, Osborne Board Member and Senior Vice President of Community Affairs at L+M Development Partners, emceed the gathering of more than seventy people. Speakers included Osborne President & CEO Archana Jayaram, Marcus Garvey Program Director Christina Green, and Jose Vega, one of Marcus Garvey’s first residents. New York State Senator Roxanne Persaud and Assemblywoman Latrice Walker attended the event and expressed their support. We thank L+M Development Partners, C+C Apartment Management, Osborne Board Members Jamie Rubin, Alison Novak, and Michael Ryan, and all of our partners who played a vital role in making the opening of Marcus Garvey possible.
During his moving remarks, Jose Vega said “for the first time in 30 years, I can say that I have a home.” Mr. Vega moved into his apartment the Monday following the opening event.
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We are thrilled to announce the 2022 Lighting the Way celebration. This year we have reimagined our annual gathering -historically a breakfast - and are excited to host Osborne’s first evening benefit. We hope you’ll mark your calendars as we continue our work to bring healing and transformation to those affected by the criminal justice system. For more information, please visit our website.
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Please join us for “Bring them Home! Policy and Legislation,” our third event in the Osborne’s Center for Justice Across Generations’ Summer Series, “The State of Older Adult Incarceration in New York.” This series examines the needs of older people inside New York’s prisons and jails, supports their reentry, and explores opportunities to bring them home. The virtual event takes place on August 9 at 12pm: register here. |
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We are excited to announce we are hosting our first “Back to School” Drive! Osborne supports children of all ages whose families have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one. Supplies will be distributed to our participants in New York City and at our community sites in Newburgh and Buffalo. If you would like to donate, please make a purchase from our Wish List by August 20.
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Join us in our work to build a justice system that promotes healing, safety, accountability, and real opportunities to thrive.
Archana Jayaram
President & CEO
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