FRIENDS OF ISLAND ACADEMY INC
127 W 127th Street Suite 127, NEW YORK, NY 10027 www.friendsny.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Friends mission is to break cycles of incarceration and build an equitable justice system by providing young people with individualized advocacy, mentorship, and opportunities to grow, thrive, and lead.

Friends of Island Academy (Friends) is a nonprofit organization bringing opportunity to justice-involved young people in New York City during incarceration and throughout their return into the community. (Continued on Schedule 0)

In 2016, our core services were scaled with NYC public funding through a four-year Demonstration Pilot: a system of discharge planning and aftercare supports for the youngest people in NYC custody. We connect with youth shortly after their admission, expedite case processing through court-based advocacy, engage with youth in their neighborhoods post-release, and facilitate connections to supportive networks. In 2019, this Pilot was institutionalized, as evidenced by a $19M commitment made by the City to replicate this work and extend it to all populations (including special populations like ours) City-wide. They resulted in recognizing the relevance of individualized and community-based advocacy and building relationships that begin in custody.Friends integrated programs support young people throughout their incarceration and transition to the community by helping them set and achieve goals to improve their civic and community engagement and to develop positive, healthy ties to their families and broader communities that allow them to contribute to society in meaningful ways. The following are the organizations recent accomplishments for our community-based, education, employment, and health and well-being services.Community Based (Core Services, Mentorship, Court-Advocacy, Books to Jails):Friends team of advocates and mentors meet with participants in their communities to continue providing supportive services while establishing community ties, fostering prosocial activities and engagement, and supporting positive youth outcomes. On average, participants are engaged in the community for 11 months. Friends Advocates engaged with 1500 justice-involved young people and families across NYC. Our court advocates worked with attorneys to achieve release or non-jail sentences for 78% of participants. Advocates completed 350 hours worth of video calls, wrote 200 letters, and sent 100 books to youth on Rikers Island and at upstate prisons.Friends conducted 45 hours of virtual programming on topics including personal finance, art therapy, and panels on mass incarceration. Response to Covid-19: In early 2020, Advocates adapted their work to respond to the critical needs of participants in all five boroughs needs that were disproportionately exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. This support included daily well-being and support check-ins (remotely, as well as at a safe but caring distance); dropping off curbside meals, diapers, medication, or formula; directing families to food and other relevant resources; advocating for ongoing stable housing; coordinating remote learning opportunities and providing resources (e.g., laptops and Wi-Fi); communicating health information; and assisting young people in maintaining their court mandated or ACS custody requirements.

Health and Well-Being:Through a combination of therapeutic and arts-based supports and services, health and well-being services are integrated to address young peoples needs on an individualized basis. Staff worked across programs City-wide to show up for youth and families throughout the pandemic through a combination of professional staff, peer leaders and advocacy staff. Our health and wellbeing team incorporates arts therapy and arts activities, offering therapeutic art sessions to young people in and out of custody living with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and depression. Family Matters supported 160 families with children in family court. Fifty young people engaged as Youth Leaders in leadership and civic engagement programs.

Employment:Employment opportunities provide formerly incarcerated youth with critical pathways to economic independence, as well as a sense of purpose and self-worth. Friends Career Services Center prepares young people for work and provides achievable career pathways to support long-term economic independence among the youngest people released from jail in New York City. Youth members participate in a five-day training program and are then connected to opportunities for paid internships and job placements. Ninety seven of participants enrolled in our Career Services/Job readiness program were placed in internships.

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Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202131309349300818_public.xml