Youth Restorative Justice Diversion Program: At Collective Climb, we believe in two simple things: we are more than the worst thing we've ever done and punishment and accountability are two different things.
As such, restorative justice diversion allows us to provide healing opportunities for survivors of harm and responsible youth outside of the criminal legal system. Through an MOU with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, we transform what would have been a juvenile case for a felony-level offense into a holistic experience focused on self-empowerment, community connection, and direct accountability. At no point post-referral do responsible youth or survivors engage with DAs, police, or courtrooms. Instead, we hold one-on-one meetings at our cozy space, at neighborhood parks, and even sometimes while hiking the Wissahickon. As an addendum to our solo offerings, we know that growth cannot occur in isolation. As such, we hold weekly gender-based affinity groups for diversion participants to bond with other youth and learn from them too, something we have come to accept is paramount for making a lasting impact.
After completing our process, responsible youth have their case closed and are eligible for record expungement if they do not get arrested 6 months after completing our program. Since launching this initiative in 2021, over 90% of our program participants have reached this record-free reality.
Emerging Adult Unit Diversion (18-25 years of age): Similarly, through a referral process with the Emerging Adult Unit of the District Attorney’s Office, we cultivate a restorative experience for adults. Consistent with brain development science, we seek to explore harm and accountability in ways that mirror our Youth Restorative Justice Diversion Program, but with additional attention to life skills.
Juvenile Assessment Center Pre-Arrest Diversion Program: Collective Climb began processing referrals from the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) for lower-level offenses such as retail theft and assault. In the span of a day, they are invited to speak plainly about harm and punishment, unpack what happened, and practice decision-making grounded in self-understanding rather than fear. Once the session is completed, the arrest is immediately expunged from the youth’s record.
DIVERSION PROGRAM
The Restorative Community Project (RCP) is a paid fellowship for BIPOC girls/femmes and non-binary youth to develop their restorative and transformative justice impulses to protect and nurture our community. In doing this work, we are reinvesting in our community's ability to keep each other safe, whole, and free. This work is done in 3 parts:
Opening Ceremony: To kick off our work, we invite participants on a retreat where we take the first step towards becoming a restorative community. During this time together, we will be witness to one another's stories, and begin to pen the one we are writing together as we learn a shared vocabulary around Black feminist epistemologies. We aim to make it plain that this not just a political project aimed towards the liberation of black women (although we believe this too)– but as Hortense Spillers has argued, Black feminism is also a whole host of interventions, theories, dance moves, critiques, Dinah Washington songs, recipes, icons, policy solutions, and critical imaginaries invested in producing a more sustainable and livable planet for us all. With this framing, we move into phase two.
Restorative Training: We live in the aftermath of communities ravaged by carceral systems and never-ending conflicts. We are taught that wrongdoing leads to punishment, and if severe enough, disposability. In this phase, we equip participants with the foundational concepts of restorative justice to disrupt this ideology and set the stage for the world we could build instead.
Closing Ceremony: Finally, we reach the point of praxis. Each cohort is tasked with developing a closing project or offering uniquely out of its own shared imaginary. It is here that we bring neighbors and peers in to engage with the offerings of the group.
restorative community project
restorative community project
YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD
If the entirety of western civilization has been dominated by a history of regulating Youth Agency, then now is the TIME FOR CHANGE. AS such, we built the Youth Advisory Board, comprised of both Restorative Community Project and Diversion Program alumni, to pay youth to determine the direction of our climb.
Since the very beginning of Collective Climb, youth are responsible for program planning, facilitation, and evaluation.
Artwork title: Wrap Your Mind Around, 2018 by Joseph Obanubi
WE ARE ALL WE GOT.
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WE ARE ALL WE GOT. ...
COLLECTIVE KICKBACks
The wonder of restorative justice is that it can both reactively redress harms and proactively build community. Thus, we create critical healing spaces to divest from pain, experiment with joy, and dream of futures fashioned by us so that we might knit a tighter restorative neighborhood. Collective Kickbacks are intergenerational community events that offer spaces for fellowship, learning, and mutual aid.
These events are often facilitated by Youth Advisory Board members or our neighbors. Past events have included the transfer of craft techniques (such as Palestinian Tatreez, collaging, and crocheting), political education sessions on Abolition and Police Free Schools, and Open Mic Nights and Thrift Exchanges.
Check out our events calendar or our social media platforms to stay informed about upcoming kickbacks.
If you would like to collaborate on a kickback/event use the form at the bottom of the page.
Contact us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!