Reentry & Engagement Coordinator

YASP Reentry & Engagement Coordinator

The Organization

The Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP) is a youth-led, intergenerational organization fighting to end youth incarceration, with a focus on eliminating the practice of charging children as adults. Our holistic approach supports young people impacted by the criminal legal system to express themselves creatively, to grow as leaders and to develop transformative possibilities in their communities and beyond. Together we implement alternatives for responding to harm and violence in Philadelphia and across the country while building towards our vision of a world without incarceration.

The Role

The Reentry & Engagement Coordinator supports the coordination of legal and community-based support for incarcerated YASP members, with a particular focus on current and former Creative Arts workshop participants. This role combines youth mentorship, arts engagement, case management, and court advocacy to advance YASP’s mission of empowering young people impacted by the criminal legal system and ending youth incarceration.

This role includes supporting weekly creative arts workshops for youth in the Philadelphia jails and at Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center (a juvenile detention facility), as well as coordinating with defense attorneys, families, and YASP’s Participatory Defense Hub to provide support for workshop participants and sustain relationships to support reentry. Our holistic approach supports young people to express themselves creatively, grow as leaders, and develop transformative possibilities in their communities and beyond.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of incarceration, detention, or reentry, as well as those directly impacted by the carceral system through family or community. YASP recognizes this expertise as essential to building trust and effectively supporting young people.

Creative Arts Workshops for Youth in Detention

• Attend and support weekly creative arts workshops in Philadelphia jails and the Juvenile Justice Services Center (JJSC) on a biweekly basis
• Build authentic, trust-based relationships with participants through shared experience, mentorship, and consistent presence
• Partner with Creative Arts Program Coordinator to develop curriculum that supports youth self-expression, leadership development, and advocacy
• Collaborate with teaching artists to ensure programming supports participants’ needs and goals during incarceration and upon release
• Assist with workshop facilitation as needed

Participatory Defense Hub and Court Support

• Support young people in understanding and preparing for court processes
• Maintain communication with attorneys and families of young people in workshops
• Maintain accurate participant information, family contacts, and court timelines
• Update and manage court dates on shared calendars
• Write letters of support for decertification, mitigation, and sentencing as appropriate
• Attend court hearings to provide support and, when appropriate, testify on behalf of participants
• Serve as a liaison between Creative Arts workshop participants and YASP’s Youth Participatory Defense Hub
• Attend biweekly Hub meetings and share participant updates
• Maintain communication with partner organizations providing legal support to young people in Philadelphia jails and JJSC (Defender Association of Philadelphia, Brothahood Foundation, Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project, etc.)
• Maintain communication and collaboration with YASP staff leading campaign work to end direct file, i.e. the practice of prosecuting children as adults

Youth Leadership Development and Reentry Support

• To the extent possible, maintain contact with workshop participants and other incarcerated YASP members when they are released or transferred to new facilities
• Promote youth leadership, agency, and empowerment throughout reentry process, especially through leadership and development opportunities within YASP
• Support participants’ transitions after release or transfer, including connecting youth to community-based resources (education, employment, housing, mental health services, etc.)
• As appropriate, connect youth participants and family members to campaign work

Organizational responsibilities:

• Collaborate with YASP staff to align mentorship, advocacy, and programming with organizational goals and the vision of a world without incarceration
• Document participant engagement and support program evaluation and reporting
• Track expenses and submit receipts in a timely manner
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, and team-building activities
• Perform additional duties as assigned

This position reports to the YASP Director.

Qualifications:

• Must have at least two years experience working with and mentoring young people ages 13-17
• Commitment to the principles of youth leadership and respect for young people’s voices and agency
• An understanding of the harms caused by mass incarceration and a commitment to ending mass incarceration and creating restorative, transformative responses to harm and violence
• Lived experience with incarceration or navigating the criminal legal system (strongly preferred)
• Experience supporting system-impacted youth, families, or communities (preferred)
• Familiarity with juvenile and/or criminal legal processes (preferred)
• Experience with participatory defense, court advocacy, or case management (preferred)
• Experience working in a community-based setting
• Strong communication, organization, and relationship-building skills
• Strong work ethic, writing and communication skills and ability to follow through on responsibilities
• Flexibility with schedule and willingness to occasionally work evenings and weekends
• Proficiency with Google Drive and Google Workspace and/or willingness to learn
• Must have or be willing to immediately acquire all necessary clearances for entering detention facilities (Child Abuse clearance, PA state criminal background check and FBI clearance)

Compensation

This will be a part-time position (25 hours/week), with possible future expansion to full-time (32 hours/week). The starting range is $30 to $34 per hour, dependent upon experience. Some evenings and weekends are required.

YASP offers a workplace and benefits that are rooted in our values, with generous PTO, opportunities for training and professional development, collaborative decision making, and more. We offer full medical coverage with 10% employee contributions for staff who work 25 hours-plus per week, as well as matching 401(k) contributions up to 2% for all staff.

Accommodations

YASP offers, upon request, accommodations for candidates with disabilities during the application, interview, and hiring process. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact us.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants, women and femmes, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, and formerly convicted, incarcerated, or systems-impacted people are highly encouraged to apply.

YASP does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, political affiliation, exercising one’s right to family care and medical leave, medical condition, including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal laws. We are not offering US visa sponsorship at this time.

YASP offers a workplace and benefits that are rooted in our values, with generous PTO, opportunities for training and professional development, collaborative decision making, and more. We offer full medical coverage with 10% employee contributions for staff who work 25 hours-plus per week, as well as matching 401(k) contributions up to 2% for all staff.