Dear John,

We want to give a special thank you to Women Helping Youth for their generous donation to our Youth Mentorship Program! Women Helping Youth (WHY) is a philanthropic organization committed to improving the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children and young adults in need in the Los Angeles area.  

These funds helped improve the outcomes of incarcerated young people in Los Angeles County. Our Youth Mentorship Program brings formerly incarcerated ARC members and staff inside Juvenile Halls and camps to provide mentorship and reentry assistance to youth incarcerated in these facilities. WHY’s generosity supports our communities by allowing our Life Coaches to visit juvenile facilities on a weekly basis (in-person and virtually) to meet with young people in small group settings and provide encouragement and motivation for better decision-making. Through WHY’s support, our program has connected youth to positive peer role models who are enrolled in college or working in interesting careers. The impact of our mentoring has spread throughout the juvenile facilities and led to a reduction in disciplinary infractions and a decrease in racial conflict. Our program also actively fights systemic racism by promoting equality and encouraging camaraderie among youth in carceral facilities.  

ARC Member, Kyuane Mckibbins, is pleased to share his story about how the ARC Youth Mentorship Program in the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall facility, funded by Women Helping Youth, impacted his life.

"My name is Kyuane Mckibbins, and I am 22 years old. At the age of 16 I was incarcerated for attempted murder. I did five years in the juvenile justice system.  My time in Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall was hard. When I first got to this facility I was struggling with the day to day life -- I was in a gang at the time and I really didn’t see myself prospering or doing anything with my life. One Friday, Sam Lewis (ARC's Executive Director), came to the unit I was housed in. He introduced himself to everyone and he explained his story on how he was incarcerated for over two decades in various California prisons. He went on to explain how successful he was upon release. Sam explained what the Anti-Recidivism Coalition was. I was interested in ARC because of the way he presented himself. His story showed me that there is a way out of here, and that there is more to life than just these walls. I ended up signing up for Sam’s classes with ARC. That was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. Sam and I ended up building a great relationship. He became a strong mentor to me. He brought me books every week, I would finish these books in two to three days tops and be ready for the next ones he brought. These books opened my horizons, it's quite funny what a book can do for you mentally. I found the love for reading, then the love for reading transpired into me signing up for college classes. This mentorship I had with ARC was a big reason I obtained my Associates Degree while I was in juvenile hall. Sam came to my graduation as well. He was there through the whole ride and is still by my side today. These mentorships and ARC are extremely important, they aren’t just temporary mentorship or quick friendships. With ARC I found a lifelong family bond, and a foundation that won’t let me fail. A foundation that I am extremely honored to be a part of. Commitment, love, and a foundation is all we need on the inside and on the “outs” in order to succeed and ARC gives you that plus way more. I wish ARC can reach more people who have been affected by the criminal justice system directly or indirectly. Thats why I have chosen to work with ARC because I want to help ARC reach and help thousands of more people, just like ARC has helped me."

 

Thank you to the members of Women Helping Youth for your support and generosity—supporters like you make our work possible! If Kyuane's story inspired you to donate, please find our donate page here.
 

MAKE A GIFT IN HONOR OF KYUANE HERE
 

Thank you in advance for thinking about this and thank you again to Women Helping Youth!