Ending Institutions Is a Necessary Step Toward Abolition
The Imprint News
In the News
Are You Listening is a powerful movement led by advocates with lived experience in New York’s child welfare system. Born out of the Children’s Rights report, Are You Listening? Youth Accounts of Congregate Placements in New York State, this initiative is pushing to end the use of congregate settings in the state.
These advocates, together with their allies, are exposing the harms and trauma caused by these placements and driving the change needed to ensure every young person has the opportunity to grow up in a supportive family and community.
Their vision is clear: A future where children thrive in nurturing environments. The report provides actionable steps to make this vision a reality. Download the summary or full report to hear directly from them and join their urgent call for change.
Key Facts
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
In the Community
AYL Team tabling at the Youth Resources & Opportunities Fair hosted by Youth Represent Legal Services NYC
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In Washington, D.C.
Attending the U.S. Senate Finance Hearing, Youth Residential Treatment Facilities: Examining Failures and Evaluating Solutions
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MEET THE TEAM
Co-Chair
Jonathan DeJesus (He/Him)
Jonathan has nine years of lived experience in the foster system; eight of those years he spent in congregate settings. He currently works as a youth advocate at You Gotta Believe, supporting youth healing. Jonathan is invested in eliminating the harms of congregate settings because he personally experienced the long-term effects of being in congregate settings. His hope for the future is to hold systems accountable for these harmful settings and educate the public by uplifting the voices of those personally impacted.
Co-Chair
Michelle Perez (She/Her)
Michelle lives in Westchester and is an advocate dedicated to a better future for the next generation. She got into this work to give a voice to the voiceless and to shine a light where people in power don’t like there to be one. She’s hoping that this coalition can open doors for youth to start their healing processes, create safer environments and stability, and carve a path that enables successful futures. Michelle hopes that they can reinvent what the system looks like and hold systems accountable for the ongoing traumatic experiences that happen in these settings. Hurt people hurt people, but healed people heal people.
Sabrina Anderson (She/Her)
Sabrina is a native New Yorker who is a fierce advocate championing issues surrounding child welfare. By taking inventory of the fragmented system around her, she realized the immense need for reform. This movement encompasses all hope for future generations with all the passions of the current one. Working towards a united goal of putting youth and families first, now and always, is the ultimate purpose.
Jasiyah Gilbert (He/Him)
Jasiyah represents the best borough– Brooklyn! He has a strong passion for justice and using the law to even the playing field for marginalized groups. He graduated with a B.S. in Law & Paralegal Studies and he hopes to eventually go to law or business school. Jasiyah knows that the harmful effects of congregate settings are something that we can’t turn a blind eye to– we have to hold these institutions to a higher standard and do what’s best for our youth and young adults. He hopes that one day congregate settings is no longer the first option for youth that need support and stability.
Chantel Jackson (She/They)
Chantel lives in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and is a student studying Ayurvedic Wellness & Integrative Health to become an Ayurvedic consultant. She spent several years in the foster system and she’s a part of this movement because congregate settings causes harm and trauma to young people, setting them up for failure in adulthood. Chantel hopes for a future that has community-based support where young people and families are humanized and receive the love, resources, and acknowledgment they deserve.
Bianca Joseph (She/Her)
Bianca lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn and inspires others to become the best version of themselves and to shine. She’s invested in ending the harms of congregate care because she was in and out of group homes and institutional settings from the ages of 8-19. Bianca knows how harmful and ineffective that environment is for children. It is hard to hope for a positive future because there are so many difficult things in this world, but she sees a lot of potential for children through movements like this one.
Kaylah McMillan (She/Her)
Kaylah is a visionary advocate dedicated to challenging the status quo and advocating for the abolition of the child welfare system. Raised in Harlem, NYC, she has firsthand experience with the systemic injustices of the child welfare system. These experiences have fueled her commitment to systemic change. Kaylah envisions a future where families have the opportunity to stay together and resolve their differences, with removal being used only as a last resort. She is particularly focused on addressing and reforming how the system handles cases of neglect and advocating for alternative solutions that prioritize family preservation and support.