Honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., CLUSTER partnered with the New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) and AmeriCorps for a day of service, assembling “Dream Kits” for youth. AmeriCorps service members and several volunteers from CLUSTER’s Teens Eager to Engage in Non-Violent Solutions (T.E.E.N.S.) program packed 100 kits that included journals, affirmations, and other materials to inspire personal reflection and community-building. The Dream Kits were then distributed to youth in Yonkers and Peekskill. When asked about the project, one participant explained “I feel like the service made a really big impact for some of the teens. In terms of just having awareness of the things going on in the world and being able to do something about it even if it’s just making kits.” Another participant reflected “The project brought youth together, building a safe space where we can work as a community and bring us closer to having unity.”
For more information about CLUSTER’s restorative justice programs, please contact Trudy Junkroski at (914) 446-0863.