Young New Yorkers

Young New Yorkers (YNY) is committed to bringing positive systemic change to the ways that teens and young people are prosecuted in New York City’s criminal legal system. We provide Restorative Arts Diversion Programs for young people being prosecuted as adults and otherwise facing jail time. First, YNY programs provide a pathway for teenagers to swiftly exit the criminal legal system, without incurring a lifelong criminal record. Second, YNY programs provide a platform for teenagers to advocate for themselves and for their visions for a transformed criminal legal system. Participants design and host public art exhibitions that explore the criminal legal issues that affect them, and invite the very judges, prosecutors, and court actors involved in their own cases to attend. This humanizes the culture of the courtrooms that engage directly with YNY, the members of which possess discretionary power with each and every young person’s case.

Our programs include 8-Week Arts Diversion Programs; Women’s 4-Week Arts Diversion Programs; 1-Day Arts Diversion Programs; Community Programs; and Graduate Programs. In addition, YNY offers paid opportunities for our program graduates as Peer Mentors and Ambassadors.