No single monarch makes the whole migration. It takes several generations, each one carrying the journey a little farther. Our young people's journeys work the same way: no one gets through the legal system alone, and no single gift gets them there.
WHAT IS TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE?
Transformative justice looks beyond punishment to focus on why harm happens, what repair actually requires, and how to keep it from happening again. Instead of asking what rule was broken, it asks who was hurt, what they need, and how to make it right.
At TJP, we help young people ages 10 to 25 navigate the criminal punishment system while addressing the underlying issues that led to their involvement in it. We build long-term relationships with them, and anyone they call family. From court advocacy to constitutional rights education to record expungement, we believe young people deserve a real path forward, not a case number.
This framework draws on decades of organizing by Black feminist, queer and abolitionist thinkers, including Mariame Kaba, generationFive and countless others. We're grateful to build on their work.
IN THEIR WORDS
"I've been working with TJP for 3 years. To be honest, if I would've never been working with them, I don't know where I would be at, nor would I be able to speak up for myself. There has not been one court where one of them was not there by my side. They have helped me clear my record, finish all my courts and get custody of my first daughter. Not just material stuff: I feel like I can vent to anyone there without feeling judged. It will always feel like a safe place for me." Brandy, a mom of two
This summer, one young person we work with was sleeping in his car and driving to his job every day. When his car was towed, he called us. TJP covered a hotel for three months and his rides, so he kept working. He saved enough to move into his own apartment, and he stayed connected to his court advocacy and mental health care the whole time.
HOW FAR WE'VE COME
In 2023, TJP ran on about $90,000. Today our budget is more than $1 million, because more young people, families and defense attorneys are counting on us.
- Courts across 10 Colorado counties, plus municipal courts and state facilities
- 69 young people and about 70 of their family members served in our last grant year
- 91% of young people with a court outcome we could track got a positive one
- 96% said they feel more connected and less alone
- 50 to 70 people at Community Night every month
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
72% people who show up: case managers, forensic social workers and a bilingual clinical provider. 8% direct help: groceries, gift cards, emergency housing, rides, phone bills and court costs. 7% programs: Tony's Food Pantry, Community Night and LYRIC materials. 13% keeping the doors open.
Most of our grants are tied to specific programs. Flexible gifts are what let us say yes when a family calls with something no grant covers.
JOIN THE MONARCH CIRCLE
Monarch Circle members give monthly, so TJP can be there month after month, for as long as it takes. Your first monthly gift is matched up to $100 by Colorado Gives Foundation while its match fund lasts. Choose an amount, check "make it recurring" and pick monthly.
$10 a month: dinner for a TJP youth at Community Night
$15 a month: LYRIC know-your-rights materials for a classroom
$25 a month: over a year, the court costs to clear one young person's record
$50 a month: helps a young person pay down court fines, fees and restitution
$100 a month: crisis help, like emergency housing, a phone bill or a car repair
Thank you for standing with young people and their families.
With gratitude, Barbs & Erin, Co-Executive Directors