The California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Program exists to make California’s communities safer. Administered by the Corrections Department, CalVIP works by funding established organizations who are working to improve safety and prevent violence within California cities. With the support of core partner 3Strands Global Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating communities to mobilize against human trafficking, this July Juma was awarded nearly $4.5 million in funding–our largest grant to-date–to support youth in accessing opportunity at all three of our California sites.
One of the ways Juma recruits youth is through ‘collective impact’ partnerships with local community-based organizations. Beginning in 2016, Juma Sacramento and 3Strands Global Foundation, or 3SGF, built a successful collective impact partnership serving youth formerly or currently at risk of human trafficking. The partnership works by economically empowering young people through Juma’s YouthConnect program where they earn a paycheck, learn workforce ready skills, and connect to opportunity while also receiving intensive case management support from 3SGF.
Working together, Juma and 3SGF have built pathways for hundreds of at-risk youth. While the partnership began in Sacramento, it was so successful that in 2021, Juma and 3SGF expanded their partnership to San Francisco. Thanks to new funding from CalVIP, the partnership will soon expand into San Jose as well. The infusion of cash will allow 3SGF to open a new location in San Jose and begin funneling youth in need of employment to Juma’s San Jose site.
“For us, one of the most exciting things about the CalVIP grant is that it supportsour core YouthConnect program and recruitment efforts,” explains Andrea Coen, Juma’s Chief Development Officer. “Often with government funding, the specific requirements can make programming changes necessary to access those funds but in this case it was a perfect fit. With 3Strands Global Foundation expanding into San Jose, we’ll be able to deepen our partnership and provide access to opportunity for their clients as well as other at-risk youth at all of our California sites. We’re very excited to have this support.”
Research has shown that employment can be a deterrent for violence, making this community-centered approach a step toward a more holistic answer to the issue of violence in American cities. At Juma, we’re excited to have this opportunity to prove that community-based organizations have an enormous role to play in making cities safer.
