FLY Board’s Stance on Justice

FLY’s Board explains that how we treat youth in FLY is what we want for youth throughout society: love and compassion, belonging, equity, fairness, and opportunity.
FLY’s Board explains that how we treat youth in FLY is what we want for youth throughout society: love and compassion, belonging, equity, fairness, and opportunity.
As our programs operate against the backdrop of a global health pandemic, our work to pursue justice for youth is front and center. Right now, FLY is evolving from a “service to some” organization into the “justice for all” organization we were always intended to be.
Due to COVID-19, all of FLY’s volunteer training had to be conducted virtually. Our staff approached this new endeavor with both excitement and nervousness. They were stepping into the unknown, but with great communication and preparation, the SCC Law Program was able to recruit 15 new volunteers for this year’s Fall semester! The training itself was a huge success, and our staff were able to tackle each item they set out to teach our volunteers.
“Nonprofit leadership transitions, especially those that involve a founder stepping down, can be fraught with uncertainty. Throw in a global pandemic, economic crisis, and racial injustice, and the challenge might seem near impossible. Yet for Ali Knight, the new CEO of Fresh Lifelines for Youth, it was the perfect time for him and the organization to take a bold step.” The Bridgespan Group is a highly respected global nonprofit committed to strengthening other mission-driven organizations and philanthropists through management and consulting. They recently began a series of articles about FLY’s recent CEO transition. In this first part of the series,
An article by FLY alumni Miracle Te’o has been featured on the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. JJIE is a widely respected resource for any type of information in the world of juvenile justice, and to have her work on their site is an incredible honor. In her article, Miracle discusses the accountability of probation officers, providing some great advice and demonstrating just how ready our youth are to be teachers to adults in the system who hope to do better by them. At FLY, we believe that youth are the experts regarding their own experiences, which is why youth voice
At FLY, it has always been a special honor and privilege to support our youth as they strive toward their educational goals. Despite the exceptional circumstances of this school year, the FLY class of 2020 had 43 high school graduates!
On July 1, 2020, Ali Knight was appointed the new President and CEO of FLY after our Founder and CEO of 20 years, Christa Gannon, moved into a formal Founder role. He explains the focus of this new era at FLY: using our energy and resources, and lifting up the voices of our youth, to disrupt the pipeline to prison and help further bend the arc of the universe toward justice.
Minutes after FLY’s virtual CEO Transition ceremony, we sat down with Christa and Ali to hear their initial thoughts in their new positions along with their biggest takeaways since COVID-19.
This post contains the text of Christa Gannon’s last speech as FLY’s CEO, as she passed the title to Ali Knight and stepped into her formal role as Founder. Words cannot express our love for Christa and gratitude for all she has done for youth, for FLY, and for justice.
The Leadership Training Program (LTP) is an opportunity for young people to receive one-on-one support and do more for their community while learning life skills in the process. This video describes how our 2020 Peer Leaders in Santa Clara County chose to learn more about families experiencing homelessness and the ways this impacts their community.