Program areas at JLUSA
Leadership in action (lap) : jlusa invests and activates its alumni network of more than 1,600 leaders across 45 states, plus d.c., to drive policy reform and community reinvestment strategies nationwide. Jlusa launched the justus coordinating council (jcc) a national policy table led by systems-impacted leaders, community members, and national organizations committed to articulating a new national vision and implementing actionable steps that promote opportunity and justice for individuals and communities affected by the criminal legal system. Jlusa continued to advance public education around the need for emergency preparedness plans within carceral settings. Jlusa continued several innovative strategic partnerships with other organizations and funders: bard microcollege for just community leadership, the nation's first tuition-free college dedicated to advocacy, arts and sciences; the safety & justice challenge, a five-year challenge initiated by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation that provides support to local leaders from across the country to tackle the misuse and overuse of jails; and a federally funded initiative designed to build the capacity of community residents to "reduce structural drivers of violence and to "heal and build equitable paths to safety and prosperity through collective action with government and private sector partners."
Sustainability: projects focused on expanding professional knowledge, skills, and effectineness supporting long-term community sustainabiity and development towards a de-carceral state.
Leadership training: over 160 community-based leaders completed emerging leaders, an intensive, community-focused training specifically designed for emerging leaders in communities most impacted by marginalization and incarceration that builds community power and coalitions so that leaders have the knowledge, skills, and resources to identify, organize, and advocate for change. Twenty-five individuals graduated from leading with conviction (lwc), a 12-month, cohort-based, advanced leadership training, coaching, and mentoring program for di individuals who are already engaged in transformative change; another 32 individuals were admitted to the next year's lwc cohort. Jlusa received accredidation by the international accreditors for continuing education and training (iacet) and offers iacet ceus for its learning events (leading with conviction) that comply with the ansi/iacet continuing education and training standard. Jlusa began planning and development of a new training program focused on c-suite level skills supporting the advancement of formerly incarcerated individuals into executive level positions in nonprofits, government, or the private sector.