Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) partners with young people in the Bay Area who are affected by the justice system to transform not only their own lives but also the system itself.
“A community of young people have succeeded in our program,” said FLY CEO Ali Knight. “Their lived experience is valuable in policy. How do we incorporate their voices into systems change?”
Knight’s own experiences inspired his passion for youth justice.
“I grew up a poor, Black boy in the '90s in New York City,” he said. “The narrative around boys like me essentially meant that young people I knew who were talented, smart and capable were locked up for long periods of time.”
Now, under Knight’s leadership, young people who have been on juvenile probation have the opportunity to act as justice consultants, formally advising district attorneys and participating in onboarding new probation officers to change harmful policies and practices. His goal for the Fellowship is to shift the thinking of those youth about their own role as instruments of change in their communities.
“I want young people to see that their stories can be a catalyst for change,” he said.