Since 2011, CURYJ has been building community and mobilizing young leaders in the movement to end youth criminalization and mass incarceration. As individuals who have lived through systemic violence and incarceration, we engage youth most impacted by the injustice, immigration, and foster care systems so that they can be the ones to close youth prisons and heal our communities. We teach ethnic studies, facilitate restorative justice circles, and share culturally rooted healing practices. We provide life coaching, professional development, political education, and hands-on experience working on policy and grassroots campaigns. Our community garden, murals, cultural celebrations, and rapid response violence prevention weave a zone of empowerment and belonging through the heart of Fruitvale.