[The following final update was written by the organization and then sent to us for further sharing.]

The California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) received funding from LA2050 for our Restorative Youth Diversion Program (RYD). The diversion program is an alternative to youth incarceration that uses Restorative Justice practices, coaching and peer support to youth between the ages of 13-17 take accountability for harm, increase their socio-emotional wellness, and build skills to address conflict using healthy, Restorative strategies. CCEJ's diversion program is one of just a few in Los Angeles County where youth can take accountability for their actions through a facilitated process of self-reflection and dialogue with the people they harm.

CCEJ’s proposed objectives were to divert 100 youth and pilot a career and education exposure program.

During the grant period (November 2024 – October 2025), CCEJ diverted 105 youth who had been referred to the program after being involved in such activities as assault, robbery, driving under the influence, and theft.

The second objective of the project was to expand offerings for youth in diversion through a pilot career and education exposure program for diversion graduates. "Rising Futures" was launched in July 2025 with a career panel offered to youth leaders in CCEJ’s Summer Youth Leadership Institute, and will be further developed as a program for diversion graduates in 2026. In addition to Rising Futures, youth were invited to gatherings for Dia de Los Muertos and Valentine’s Day, which featured a workshop on healthy relationships in collaboration with Womenshelter Long Beach.

Diversion not only is a healing opportunity for the youth and families involved, but for the entire community. Diversion services are less costly than sending young people to jail or probation, and relieve police officers from lengthy involvement in court cases. Some of CCEJ’s law enforcement partners share that youth decline the opportunity to participate in diversion, which may be a result of how and when the program is being described to the young people and their families. Luckily, CCEJ has referral partners who ensure that youth who qualify for diversion receive the proper guidance and referral to CCEJ's services.

CCEJ gathers feedback about the impact of the program through intake forms and exit surveys, when youth share how they have grown in their knowledge, skills and awareness of the impact of their actions. CCEJ interviews parents during the case closure to capture outcomes related to improvement of youth’s relationships with their families and networks of support. The feedback that we receive during these touchpoints reflect the success of the program.

Youth participants shared:

• "This program gives you another chance to make better decisions."
• "I learned that if something is going on you can always be open to ask for support and understand the difference between right choices and bad ones."

Youth said that talking about past memories and expressing their feelings during case prep sessions and during the Restorative Circle contributed to their positive experience in the program.

Parents shared:

• "This program helped my son get on track with a different outlook."
• "The program allowed my daughter and I to resolve our deep-rooted differences."
• "CCEJ gave my son a second chance for a better future."
• "This program was fair due to my son being a young adult with a wrong choice at the moment and this helped him instead of any court or probation."

A story illustrates the powerful impact of Restorative Justice diversion: a young man was arrested for car theft – he had been peer pressured into stealing a car by his friends, and his case was diverted to CCEJ. After choosing to participate in the program, the young person was given space and time to reflect on his motivations for stealing a car and how his choices impacted not just the car’s owner, but also his family and community.

During the final Restorative Circle, the young person’s grandmother spoke about her fear that her grandson was at risk for violence, since many Latine youth are treated harshly by police, whether or not they have caused a harm or an offense. She also shared a story about how she had her own car stolen on the same night that she was going into labor and needed to get to the hospital. Her experience of being impacted by people stealing her own car made a strong impression on her grandson. He realized that his actions harmed the car's owner by possibly preventing them from getting to their job or another important appointment. It is this type of deep reflection, sharing and connection-building that CCEJ's program offers to families who participate in diversion.

CCEJ's level of services in the past year was reduced because of an unexpectedly high amount of staff turnover, team members left for new opportunities between March and June 2025, leaving a gap in support for youth. We used temporary staff to work on as many cases as possible until we hired new staff in the summer. Despite the vacancies, CCEJ continued to provide comprehensive and supportive case management to youth in the program.

For the youth participants in our diversion program, one of the most meaningful measures of success is that charges are removed from their record. They are able to move forward in life without the barriers that result from having a record in the justice system.

Thanks to the attention directed towards CCEJ’s diversion work as a result of receiving LA2050 Grant, CCEJ obtained several general operating grants in Spring 2025 that will sustain diversion and other youth leadership programs over the next several years. CCEJ will continue offering Restorative Youth Diversion for the foreseeable future and will create opportunities for youth to build their leadership skills beyond their participation in diversion. This might look like youth sharing their diversion experience with a wider audience on CCEJ’s podcast, in person at conferences, or in videos produced in collaboration with staff. We know that youth have had the opportunity to transform their lives in the diversion program, and now we want to support them to follow their interests towards future success.