Meet Five Young People Who Turned Their Lives Around
Since 2006, exalt has worked to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
Working exclusively with court-involved youth in New York City from the moment they are referred by over 600+ partners including judges, DAs, parole officers, nonprofits and schools, exalt helps to keep young people out of further involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Participation in exalt's programming can be used as an alternative to incarceration.
The pre-internship training program teaches young people four core skills, critical thinking, communication, creating problem-solving, and resources management. After completion of the pre-internship program, exalt members then enter an eight-week paid internship where they apply the skills they’ve learned. After their internship, exalt members will become alumni, working to resolve their open cases, developing plans for outstanding academic needs, and eventually having an opportunity to apply for a second internship.
Through a combination of structured classes for skill development, individualized support maneuvering the education and justice systems, placement into paid internships, and an alumni network of resources, exalt readies young people to avoid additional criminal justice system involvement. Helping to guide court-involved young people into realizing their full potential.
95% of exalt participants do not recidivate within two years of graduating from the program. That’s 70% higher than the national average.
Here are five young people who have found success through exalt’s programming.
Melanie connected with exalt when she was 18 and was quickly inspired by the curriculum. Following the end of her program, exalt helped her get a paid internship with Good Call, an arrest support hotline. Now, two years later, Melanie continues to work with Good Call as a community ambassador.
Melanie also recently became certified as an EMT and is looking forward to becoming an advocate and health care provider for young people dealing with mental health issues. For Melanie, exalt’s programming was “vibrant and beautiful”, and helped her identify and focus on her strengths, like speaking Spanish. She also learned new skills such as how to thoughtfully “respond” rather than quickly “reacting” without thinking which she says has been useful in her everyday interactions.
Growing up in Flatbush Brooklyn, Nile says he had limited opportunities for a career. It was not until he was introduced to exalt that he saw the possibilities available to him.
At exalt, Nile participated in two paid internships in Fashion Marketing and Digital marketing, finished his GED, and was propelled into a career as a videographer. He now shoots music and wedding videos and travels across North America for work.
Before his introduction to exalt, Safwan said he lacked goals and felt hopeless. He credits his teachers at exalt with motivating him to find his path.
Safwan interned at ImageNation, a photo gallery in SOHO, where he learned about event production and digital marketing. Safwan is currently enrolled at the NYC College of Technology, majoring in digital and business marketing. His advice to other young people at exalt: put in 100% because “you’ll get back even more and emerge as a better person.”
Jaizyha joined exalt at 15, a decision that changed the trajectory of her life. “They saved me,” she says. She has just finished her third-year interning at exalt and is excited about her next chapter. Jaizyha has a three-year-old son and is confident about their future. Jaizhya says exalt has inspired her to one day start her own organization for court-involved youth.
When Mikey joined exalt, he was surprised that one of the tenets was to “humanize” students. Mikey says the environment and programming exalt provides allowed him to thrive and find a career path he is excited to pursue.
After participating in an internship with the Children’s Defense Fund, Mikey enrolled in the Charles Stewart School of Locksmithing. He’s hoping to open his own business.
Ali was introduced to exalt in 2023. Expecting the program to be like school, he was pleasantly surprised when exalt felt more like a business environment. He says exalt inspired him to work hard so he could get an internship at the end of his program. Ali says his time at exalt has helped prepare him for the job market, teaching him how to pitch himself to potential employers and how to succeed at job interviews.
