Community Connections for Youth
Rev. Ruben Austria, Founder & Executive Director
Community Connections for Youth (CCFY) mobilizes faith and neighborhood organizations to develop effective community-driven alternatives to incarceration for youth. It brings together young people and their parents, community and religious leaders, and business and government representatives. CCFY believes that increasing local capacity to work with youth is key to reducing crime and delinquency and improving long-term life outcomes.
In 2010, CCFY began building a community alternative to youth incarceration in the Mott Haven area of the South Bronx. It includes partnerships with local organizations to provide safe spaces and mentoring, training for grassroots organizations, and leadership development for parents who have children currently or previously incarcerated. CCFY also works directly with youth in the juvenile justice system to help them achieve personal, academic, and professional goals.
CCFY believes that community residents must be informed about how the justice system works and that the juvenile system must be accountable to the community.