Bronx PRYDE
Marlee Ford, Temitope Theresa Kuyoro, Tanesha Ingram, Jahra Lara & Jasmine Uribe, Co-Founders
Bronx PrYde (Promoting Revolutionary Youth Development and Empowerment), a youth organizing project hosted by The Bronx Defenders, is the outgrowth of PrYde’s vision that youth and adults of color can partner to bring about community transformation. PrYde provides space, resources and training to youth to promote personal growth, political development and collective consciousness so that young people can use their strengths and talents in creating justice with their lives, families and community.
Through youth development, organizer training, youth-led community-building projects and campaign work, PrYde demands social justice while supporting youth whose potential is developed to the fullest. PrYde’s goals are to prepare socially aware, intellectually engaged and confident community youth leaders; to build community demand for funding of schools and youth programs; to nurture safe communities by addressing the root causes of behavior that brings youth to the attention of courts, and to challenge negative perceptions of youth of color that fuel their criminalization.
An introductory training series in the history, principles and strategies of community organizing prepares PrYde youth members and leaders. They then go on to direct campaigns and community-building projects, design workshops, facilitate the next training cycle and organize community events.