The Gem Project, Inc.

Are WE philanthropists? Yes, WE are!

There are several things we have en[JOY]ed within this lifetime. One of those top things is serving alongside our team at The Gem Project, Inc. -- Special shout-out to Stacy Tyndall-Brown, Katrine Singhbaba, and Jenny Idrobo.

We accomplish Big Bold ACTIONS when we come together to work on initiatives that strengthen our communities BUT allow us to be in conversation, offering new perspectives and appreciation beyond what we see daily.

On May 30, we hosted a rooftop Meet & Greet at Philips Academy School to engage perspective Impact100 Essex, a community of women who give yearly to support our 100K Impact grants and Equity grants, each year for Essex County not-for-profits.

We are all proud to be entering our 2nd year as Impact100 Essex members and former grantees. All of us had an opportunity to serve as reviewers, and some for both the Impact and Equity grants too.

To learn more about Impact100 Essex, please visit: https://www.impact100essex.org/.

The Gem Project, Inc. is excited about offering Youth Mental Health First Training at Programs for Parents this May 9, 2024 through May 10, 2024.

Sign-ups are over capacity.

"I’ve always believed that when concerns arise in our communities, our young leaders possess the strongest set of tools to solve them. One of the greatest aspects of this generation is the unparalleled and unyielding dedication to issues which matter to them: family values, education, and health care, for example. There are few things more inspirational to see and be a part of. "on The Gem Project, Inc.
/ The White House- https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/02/02/gem-project-0

A Gem of a Project This edition of "Women Working to Do Good" profiles Amanda Ebokosia, a woman empowering young Americans to enact reforms and create community programs to tackle the issues that matter most to them.

Youth Media Symposium and The Gem Project, Inc., will host the 3rd Annual Youth-Led Newark Board of Education Forum on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at 11:00 AM: Calling all NEWARK STUDENTS !! Come through the Heritage Hall of Mentor Newark, located inside the Hayne's building (50 Halsey Street, Newark, New Jersey, next to Kite & Key), and use your voice to speak to candidates -- get answers to the questions that matter most to YOU. Have youth register at www.bit.ly/youthledforum2024
Youth VOICE Matters!!

With August's release of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice's policy brief, "Let Us Vote: Why 16- and 17-Year Olds Should be Allowed to Vote in Local Elections and Beyond," a strong case was made for lowering the voting age for students to 16 and 17-year-olds in school board and local elections.

Around this time, Ryan P. Haygood, CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, had worked to connect with us and other organizations that work with youth to ensure they are a part of this process of change, as Vote16 partners.

This past week Newark City Hall introduced a historic ordinance-- one that considers lowering the voting age to 16, in school board elections. Wednesday, December 20, 2023, our The Gem Project, Inc. Fellows, Breanna and Nathaniel, 16, both Newark High School students witnessed the introduction, which led to the unanimous vote to advance it.

To pass, it will need final approval on January 10, 2024, at 12:30 PM ET at Newark City Hall, when Newark City Council members vote at the Public Hearing.

We need to ensure the passage of this important measure, as everyday policies impact the present and future of our 16-17-year-old students here in Newark, and like so many other students across the country. Yet, they are not given the chance to use their voices and participate in our democratic process in a meaningful way.

This is a true opportunity to create a culture of civic engagement early -- and leave low voter turnouts like last year's school board election in the past, where only 3.13% of registered voters in Newark came out to vote. Of the 161,000 registered voters in Newark, only about 5,000 voted last school board election.

The time of opportunity is now!!!

Read Up: https://lnkd.in/e6c_vcCT

The Gem Project, Inc.: Incoming Board member Lana Molina, VP of Community Outreach at Lakeland Bank just volunteered with us, leading a financial literacy session. She was so relatable and highlighted every day scenarios when it came to SMART money management for our fellows.

Perfect timing as we get ready to issue our fall stipends this month for the work they have done thus far.

Lana and with initial support from Roxanne Camejo, Community Development Officer, coordinated a series to coincide with the interests of our 2 cohorts. Together, they brought a great group of executives turned volunteers to engage with her team with these other topics: in Careers in Banking, Judy Gropper, VP of Talent Acquisition; Understanding Credit, Keith White, AVP, and Branch Manager.

If you are a youth group interested in joining our spring series, March-May, just let us know so we can send details,
https://bit.ly/engagement2024

🔊 With much excitement, The Gem Project, Inc. Board of Directors welcomes (5) new Board members to join its community in governing The Gem Project, a nonprofit dedicated to boosting high school to college student engagement and on-time graduation through service-learning initiatives that take on a social justice approach.

WELCOME,

🔘Sandra Florent, Sr. Social Media Manager at SHI International
🔘Alanna Garavaglia, Fund Development Manager at Branch Brook Park Alliance
🔘Dr. Traymanesha Lamy, President and CEO at NextUp RVA
🔘Lana Molina, VP of Community Outreach at Lakeland Bank
🔘Adele Taylor, Digital Programs and Partnerships Manager (Youth) at Thorn

They join our current dynamic group of Board members serving their terms with:
🔘Dr. Timothy K. Eatman; social scientist and Inaugural Dean, Honors Living Learning Community at Rutgers University - Newark
🔘Brandon Fletcher, Program Associate at Vera Social Justice Institute
🔘Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, Chief Equity Officer and VP of Community Relations at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
🔘Dr. Quintus Jett, Consultant and Researcher; and
🔘Mia Legaspi-Cavin, Program Officer at Johnson Family Foundation.

WE look forward to what WE will BUILD together. Onward!

Read more about our new cohort here:

< https://thegemproject.org/2023/12/the-gem-project-announces-5-new-appointments-to-board-of-directors >

❓❓❓DID YOU GET this Monday morning's The Gem Project, Inc.newsletter, 'Our Young Person Revealed *drumroll please* - Taking the National Stage on Health Equity!'

💌 Synopsis: "Jennymarie Idrobo, our Gem Project Fellow Facilitator, is speaking at Community Catalyst's annual event, "Building Power for Health Justice," with a $2,500 honorarium by Community Catalyst, highlighting the ongoing work she and other youth at The Gem Project have done in 2023.

This summer, The Gem Project's fellows worked as community navigators in partnership with Greater Newark Health Care Coalition and NJ FamilyCare, opening doors to expand their impact in health equity. Health is one of 3 of Gem Project's justice pillars: health, education, and criminal justice. Their 10-week training culminated in a city-wide canvassing, engaging with almost 300 Newark residents. Now, The Gem Project plans to reach even more in the fall with school-based support.
"

Don't miss our weekly round-up and SIGN-UP,
http://thegemproject.org/gem-newsletter

Read the last: https://thegemprojectinc.salsalabs.org/jennymariespeakshealthequity

DID YOU GET this Monday morning's The Gem Project, Inc.newsletter, 'Gem Project partners with Audible and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) at their summer data convening, and more'

💌 Synopsis: "Last week, we expressed concern about the 6000 Newark residents at risk of losing health care coverage due to expiring pandemic protections-- each month. Upon conclusion of trainings, within 1 week fellows engaged about 300 Newark residents, aiming to reach hundreds more with new strategies and trainings this fall. They shared touching stories by some fellows who said they overcame social anxiety while canvassing and the success of performing a collective poem on health equity in partnership with NJPAC and Audible. The week also included a final filming of a commercial and celebrating the youth's impactful work with a trip to Six Flags."

Don't miss our weekly round-up and SIGN-UP,
https://thegemproject.org/gem-newsletter

See the last:
https://lnkd.in/e28fVP8U

DID YOU GET this Monday morning's The Gem Project, Inc. The newsletter, 'How Newark Youth Canvass Across NJ's Largest City for Health Equity'

Synopsis: "Our dedicated high school, college students, and alumni took action to start to address the 6,000 Newark residents each MONTH at risk of losing healthcare coverage under NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid. Working alongside and receiving support with the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, they developed a strategy, underwent comprehensive training, and engaged in meaningful outreach throughout the summer, with plans to continue in the fall. Through Institute for Citizens & Scholars and other partners, their efforts exemplify their commitment to justice, focusing on education, health, and criminal justice, as they raise awareness and work towards solutions in their communities."

Don't miss our weekly round-up and sign-up,
http://thegemproject.org/gem-newsletter

Don't miss out. Hundreds of data collected this past week from our youth canvassing efforts all across Newark,

✅ Monday - Central Ward (8/7/23)
✅ Tuesday - South Ward (8/8/23)
✅ Wednesday - West Ward (8/9/23)
✅ Monday - North Ward (8/14/23)
✅ Monday - East Ward (8/14/23)

Did you get this morning's The Gem Project, Inc. newsletter, 'How we helped these Newark students distribute $50,000, in partnership with Victoria Foundation ?'

Don't miss our weekly round-up and sign-up,
http://thegemproject.org/gem-newsletter

Read the last: https://lnkd.in/eFwMDtHe

Photography by: Chrys Davis

In partnership with Victoria Foundation, The Gem Project, Inc. co-designed and implemented a youth grantmaking program called, NextGen Grantmakers Initiative. Newark high school students trained for the past year on grantmaking and developed a process that worked to remove as many barriers as possible. They developed the system to set parameters, develop an application, review, evaluate and distribute $50,000 in this first fund. Right now, they’re in the process of conducting their own site visits!

Official Announcement: https://www.victoriafoundation.org/news/victoria-foundation-s-youth-led-grantmaking-initiative-announces-50-000-in-grants-1

Join us in celebrating our NextGen Grantmakers 2023 grantees, congrats to all:

Maroon Theatre Project ($20K) for the Lorraine Hansberry Youth Playwriting Fellowship, through this program, young people will have the opportunity to engage with socio political issues, collaborate with peers to produce plays that explore social justice topics of their choosing, and express themselves through the arts. Maroon Theatre Project, a New Jersey-based social justice theatre program that aims to foster critical consciousness, activism, and healing in youth through the arts,

SHE Wins Inc. ($20K) to fund the SHE Wins Emerging Leaders Fellowship ( ), a college and career readiness and training program for high school girls and college-aged youth in the Newark and greater Newark area. The Program works to develop leadership, literacy, social-emotional learning, and career readiness for young women. SHE Wins, Inc. offers a free leadership program to middle and high school girls in Newark. It is a trauma informed program that uses a combination of social and emotional learning and rigorous college and career readiness training.

Leaders of the 21st Century ($10K) will support upgrading curriculum for the spring 2023 and fall 2023 year and hosting the first one-day convening in partnership with Arts High School dedicated to supporting conversations around mental health in spring 2024. Leaders of the 21st Century is committed to enhancing college and career readiness skills in high school students by offering a two-year fellowship exposing youth to workshops and trainings with career professionals exposing them to a variety of career fields of interest.

The Gem Project Fellows worked as consultants for their client (MENTOR NEWARK) building youth advisory councils, based on research and curricula conducted by Gem Project Fellows during 2021-2022 & 2022-2023 school year. The finished guide is an 80-page guide, with resources and yearlong checklist from start-up to establishment. We look forward to seeing how it gets implemented at Central High School and Newark School of Data Science in the coming year ahead. TheGemProject x

Photo by

The Victoria Foundation and The Gem Project, Inc. are working to transform philanthropy by centering Black and Brown youth lived experiences and desires in Newark, New Jersey. Giving youth agency and power to decide how funding is allocated to support the communities, in which they reside, is not just thoughtful--- but necessary.

Through the NextGen Grantmakers Initiative at Victoria Foundation, nine 16-17 year-old high school students, representing all the wards in Newark, are being educated on grantmaking as young grantmakers. In the development of their own funding process, youth will allocate up to $50,000 to support Newark-based nonprofits that center youth in their work, prioritizing: youth organizing, expression, and youth leadership as key funding selected by this cohort.

Co-creating the process with Victoria Foundation, working closely with Brianna Suárez, Strategy Officer at Victoria Foundation, and colleagues Stacy Tyndall-Brown, Program Manager at The Gem Project, Inc., and Jennymarie Idrobo, our youth facilitator, has been a special experience. Seeing the NextGen Grantmakers build on their knowledge each day, while carving out new pathways has been transformative.

We learn from the youth each session and we cannot wait to see the process they designed fully take shape in 2023.

Read:

Victoria Foundation Announces NextGen Grantmakers Initiative for Youth of Color Nine Newark Youth Selected in Initiative to Expand Black and Brown Youth Exposure and Decision Making in Philanthropy Newark, NJ - Today Victoria Foundation announced the inaugural cohort of Newark youth in its NextGen Grantmakers initiative. The project, a partnership with The Gem Project, is a par...

Hosting Growing Up - Newark Screening, powered by Disney+, between The Gem Project and United Way Greater Newark, brought many young people and community leaders together to discuss varying mental health challenges through film and discussion at CityPlex 12 this month.

Distributing over 150 kindness bags, provided by Gem Project Fellow Jovanna Abdou ( ), included books, CDs, affirmation cards, and ways to commit to pay it forward, our attendees were able to take it home while enjoying beverages and popcorn over two featured short films. These kindness bags were also gifted to .

Centering youth as everyday heroes, the short film screening explored the lived experiences and identities of young people and the varying mental health challenges they navigate today. Discussions were followed discussions led by appointed community facilitators: Stacy Tyndall-Brown, Program Manager at The Gem Project; Jennifer Made, Manager of Youth Programs at Abbott Leadership Institiute; and A'dorian Murray Thomas, Founder & CEO at SHEWins, Inc.

Hosts of the event included Amanda Ebokosia, Founder & CEO at The Gem Project, Inc., and Adaobi Ndupu, Director of Health at United Way Greater Newark. Photographer Chrys Davis

The Gem Project, Inc. was an Equity Grant recipient by Impact100 Essex.

Our program manager Stacy Tyndall-Brown was able to accept this honor on our behalf.

The flexibility that this grant allows, gives us a chance to strengthen our infrastructure as an organization -- while providing relief to continue to offer paid high-quality fellowships for youth age 16-24, which foster youth leadership, peer-based mentoring, and service-learning initiatives that take on a social justice approach. Our youth are drawing connections and getting exposure to employment opportunities and pathways in education, public service, law, and community organizing. It's because of Impact100 Essex we can continue to make this possible and expand our opportunities.

Get Tools (bus passes, social media, flyers, permission slips): http://bit.ly/growing-up-tools

Powered By DDisney, TThe Gem Project, Inc. & UUnited Way of Essex and West Hudson(United Way Greater Newark) are bringing 100+ people to Cityplex 12, Newark movie theater to screen "Growing Up," December 13, 2022 4:15 PM EST (Doors Open) - Event 4:30 PM EST - 6:30 PM EST.

100+ reserved tickets and counting!

GRAB TICKETS HERE: http://bit.ly/growingup-newark

Includes: General Admission, Giveaways, Snacks and Beverages

Ideal Audience: Age 17+ and up

About:

Centering youth as everyday heroes, The Gem Project and United Way Greater Newark, host a private television screening powered by Disney+ called "Growing Up," a short film screening exploring the lived experiences and identities of young people and the varying mental health challenges they navigate today. Screenings are free and open to the public, which include snacks, beverages, and discussions led by appointed community facilitators.

Featured Episodes at Event (2):

Episode David (Directed by Rudy Valdez): A young basketball player finds his worth through sports. When he gets cut from the varsity team, he must find a way to redefine himself.

Episode Sophia (Directed by Yara Shahidi): Growing up in a community with a lack of diversity, a young Black woman and self-described math and science nerd struggles with impostor syndrome. After her friend suffers through a traumatic event, she decides she must use her skills to make change - and face her fears of failure.

Powered By Disney+, The Gem Project, Inc.  & United Way of Essex and West Hudson (United Way Greater Newark) are bringing 100+ people to Cityplex 12, Newark movie theater to screen "Growing Up,"  December 13, 2022 4:15 PM EST (Doors Open) - Event 4:30 PM EST - 6:30 PM EST.

100+ reserved tickets and counting!

GRAB TICKETS HERE: (link in bio) 

Includes: General Admission, Giveaways, Snacks and Beverages

Ideal Audience: Age 17+ and up

About:  

Centering youth as everyday heroes, The Gem Project and United Way Greater Newark, host a private television screening powered by Disney+ called "Growing Up," a short film screening exploring the lived experiences and identities of young people and the varying mental health challenges they navigate today. Screenings are free and open to the public, which include snacks, beverages, and discussions led by appointed community facilitators.

Featured Episodes at Event (2):

Episode David (Directed by Rudy Valdez): A young basketball player finds his worth through sports. When he gets cut from the varsity team, he must find a way to redefine himself.

Episode Sophia (Directed by Yara Shahidi): Growing up in a community with a lack of diversity, a young Black woman and self-described math and science nerd struggles with impostor syndrome. After her friend

With the appointment of our new Board Chair Mia Legaspi-Cavin, we also announce 3 incoming members joining our Board of Directors of The Gem Project, Inc.

Mia has spent her life advocating for marginalized groups and ensuring that dignity to a quality of life is preserved within the criminal justice system. Today she heads a justice portfolio as a Program Officer at the Johnson Family Foundation.

It is with great excitement that we announce 3 incoming Board members at The Gem Project, who each represent our pillars of focus: education, health, and criminal justice. We welcome Dr. Timothy K. Eatman; social scientist and Inaugural Dean, Honors Living Learning Community at Rutgers University - Newark; Brandon Fletcher, Program Analyst at Vera Social Justice Institute; and Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, Chief Equity Officer and VP of Community Relations at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

They join our current Board members serving out their 3 years with Elizabeth Abitanto, Board President, Philip's Academy Charter School; Kyle Burford, Internal Control Manager at Squarespace; Dr. Quintus Jett, Consultant and Researcher.

We congratulate Kehinde Togun for serving as Chair with us, for the last 2.5 years. We have gained a long-term friend and thought partner. We also acknowledge the contributions of our friend and colleague Natasha Dyer, as she steers the leadership of The Greater Newark Conservancy as its new Executive Director.

With Mia’s leadership and the contributions of our Board who reflect and have lived, worked, went to school or volunteered in the communities in which we serve, we take on much of our upcoming initiatives with great excitement and vigor.

On behalf of Amanda Ebokosia, CEO at .

The Gem Project Fellows are kicking off their youth-led summit called, "We Are Change Agents Summit," Thursday, August 11 at Rutgers Law School and the Hahne's Building: 

now open to public with limited space: [ http://bit.ly/changeagent22 ].

For last several weeks, our College Fellows were in pre-service training on facilitating youth organizing and social justice topics. Upon the conclusion of pre-service, they trained an additional 40+ high school fellows across 2.5 weeks before launching the planning of their summit. Youth recruited within their network of peers to welcome up to 70+ youth.

Panel Discussion with: Jordan Costa, Giffords Law Center; David Daughety, Newark Student Union; and Anthony Diaz, Newark Water Coalition. 

Performances - "I AM" Poems

Workshops: Youth Organizing Cyle & Root Cause Analysis 

August 11, 2022

First Location: The Kick-Off & Lunch

Rutgers Law School

12 PM - 2 PM

123 Washington Street

Newark, New Jersey 07102

Second Location: Panel and Workshops

Khem Fest

2 PM - 4:45 PM

609 Broad Street

Newark, NJ 07102

Report: Our Mental Health Action Day -- Engages 275+ High School Students - Read on:https://thegemproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mental-Health-Action-Gem-x-CHS-x-MTV-2022.pdf

Across 32 countries and alongside over 1400 nonprofits, The Gem Project, participated in Task Force and MTV Entertainment Group’s second annual Mental Health Action Day. The Gem Project worked to design initiatives and programming, which would inspire action in community wellness and overall
well-being at Central High School.

The Gem Project was among 10 nonprofits across the country, which was awarded with a grant to further work and lead an idea inspired by their college fellow Victoria Hoegah, junior at Rutgers University-Newark, who co-wrote the grant application alongside program leaders.

To combat loneliness exacerbated by the pandemic, The Gem Project in partnership with Central High School, provided a day of action program to foster healthy mental health practices through connection by a series of art activations, which engaged over 275+ students and provided self-care kits with resources.