WHAT IS CREATE JUSTICE?

It all started with a conversation. In 2016, Sarah Johnson, of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, and Kaile Shilling, of the Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, came together to share each organization’s work tied to youth justice and discuss policy shifts taking place in their respective cities: New York City and Los Angeles. This led them to wonder what might be possible through conversations with leaders from across the country and from a variety of disciplines. Collective action by a larger group could have a greater impact than the work of only these two organizations.

For the next two years, the organizations spearheaded a series of gatherings that brought together a diverse cross-section of stakeholders — from urban and rural communities, law enforcement, artists, advocates, funders, and public partners — to determine how art can be used to serve young people and as a tool for positive societal transformation.

Today, Createjustice.org is the online resource that holds the collective wisdom, resource lists, links, and learnings that emerged from the national forums. These gatherings included hundreds of organizations and individuals from across the country to help to collect, organize, and amplify arts-centered approaches to transforming the youth justice systems and reimagining and strengthening communities.

The resources are available to everyone in the hopes of advancing work at the intersection of arts and youth justice that continues beyond the Create Justice initiative.