Exalt Youth

Exalt Youth is an organization designed specifically for youth involved in the criminal justice system. We serve youth ages 15-19 annually, 78% male, 21% female, and 1% unknown. Program participants come from New York City's poorest zip codes, and all face a host of barriers such as multi-generational poverty, foster care involvement, low educational skills, incarcerated parent(s), racial marginalization, and living in households with little support in which they are often caregivers for siblings or sick relatives.Exalt's signature 21-Week Core Program is designed to address three primary factors contributing to the School-to-Prison Pipeline: criminal justice avoidance, educational attainment, and employability. The program consists of the following four components: 1) foundational life skills (critical thinking, communication, creative problem-solving, and resource management through pre- and post-internship classes); 2) individualized planning and support (goal setting and effective education/court advocacy strategies to help students successfully navigate the educational and legal systems); 3) paid internships (exposure to diverse career opportunities through our partnerships with over 100 businesses across NYC); and 4) alumni network (paid graduate programming that includes extended internships, individual education/career counseling, and monthly college/career workshops).Expenses include $812,828 in stipends to 527 students participating in Exalt Youth's programs and internships sponsored by the organization.