A “Collective Climb” to Restorative Justice and Healing in Philadelphia

Collective Climb is a Black feminist organization empowering youth and communities in Philadelphia through restorative justice. Through our efforts, we seek to inspire creative and revolutionary pathways to Black joy, security, and freedom.

In concrete terms, our work stretches along the horizon in both directions:

• Restoratively: Through an MOU with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, we process cases for youth (ages 10-17.5) who have committed felony-level harm through holistic programming and restorative circles with the survivors of harm. Barring rearrest, at no point post-referral do responsible youth or survivors engage with DAs, police, or courtrooms. Instead, we do this work in our space, grandma’s living room, community gardens, and at water ice stands. Once the conference is complete, youth will have their case closed and their records expunged should they not be arrested for six months post program completion.
• Transformatively: The Restorative Community Project (RCP) is a 3-month paid fellowship for teens to develop their restorative and transformative justice impulses through a healing retreat, a Black feminist-informed curriculum, and a closing event that displays their collective learning. After completing RCP, graduates may join our Youth Advisory Board, a 6-month fellowship for youth to organize and facilitate events (called Kickbacks) focused on intergenerational community building and healing.

To date, we have reached upwards of 150 youth through these programs (and 700+ through workshops and events). We’ve paid over $90,000 in stipends to youth who use the funds to build savings, fund hobbies, and help out at home. We maintain a less than 5% recidivism rate, as our focus is not only on changed behavior, but changed conditions.

These programs emerged from tender conversations with teens and neighbors in Philadelphia in the fiery aftermath of Walter Wallace’s death at the hands of the Philadelphia Police Department on October 26, 2020. During our focus groups, the youth told us that what they need is money, safe places to hang out, and caring adults. Of the 174 neighbors reached through our door-to-door campaign, 92% supported giving our youth a second chance (with 88% voicing support for restorative justice conferencing specifically). We heard of younger brothers locked away for the impulses of an adolescent mind and cousins who really needed someone to talk to but met a cage instead. Across both research areas, these insights determine how we charge forward.

As of November 2024, we have rooted ourselves in place for the first time – with a site of our own. We are eager to turn this into a hub for youth to gather and organize. In addition to our programmatic offerings, we aim to expand our auxiliary workshops. Namely, we seek to teach the youth and our adult neighbors how to operate from a restorative framework to reduce interpersonal harm – and when it does occur, how to repair it through non-punitive approaches. Furthermore, we aim to design new systems cultivated out of love for each other. Our vision is to bring to fruition those ideas that get scribbled onto the white board or uttered in our dialogues together.

To learn more about our programs including kickbacks/workshops, paid fellowships for 15-19 year olds, and community alternatives to incarceration for BIPOC youth, visit the Collective Climb website.