People in the Briner Lakes area gathered at the Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project’s facility for an impact launch event last Friday. Reporter Miles Walker has the details on the shift LRJP is making in its work for the community. The Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project received the Sourcewell impact grant for supporting enhanced continuum of care which will represent a shift in youth prevention, intervention, diversion, and both re-entry and follow-up programming.
It started with letters from kids and it’s the value and the impact that the kids have and what we’re doing. Uh first, they need to know that we’re hearing them and we are responding to what they’ve expressed as need. If we’re only addressing the harm or the offense, then what?
The LJP will also be pairing the impact grant with their new hires who will be working in Briner High School and Forest View Middle School. We want to impact lives early so that they’re not facing those hardships later on in life. So developing programs such as elevate within the school systems where youth are learning how to resolve conflicts, talk with their peers, realizing what their full potential is in a restorative and positive way leads to better outcomes, better youth, and helps us eliminate that school to prison pipeline. The grants will help the LRJP provide no cost access to addiction and mental health support, something the many organizations and educational bodies in attendance, including Sacred Pathways, Lake View Behavioral Health, Wellness in the Woods, and Crowing County Social Services support. I see dreams birthing in each one of those partners, too, and what is possible. When I look at the housing and I look at the employment, all the major pieces or hot topics today, if we go back in time, we will be able to see that where we’re at and what we’re doing right now will shift that narrative down the road.
The LJP supports the community, providing equitable opportunities for all while valuing empathy and caring. Between 2020 and today, the organization has seen over a 200% increase in both referrals written and total revenue and is looking forward to staying the course in its mission. Helping individuals understand why they may have made that mistake, but them helping them work through it so that they can move forward with their life and contribute positively to the community. Mistakes shouldn’t define us and they shouldn’t hinder us from opportunities later in life.
Reporting in Brainer, Miles Walker, Lakeland News. SAP will begin working in both Briner High School and Forest View Middle School next week. Lakeland News is a nonprofit news organization. Donate to Lakeland PBS today to support your local news team.