Reflections by Ghani Songster, Inaugural Manager of Healing Futures & CFSY’s Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager
At CFSY, we work towards a world that chooses healing over punishment. Today, we want to share a powerful story of that world in action. A new report on a restorative justice program called Healing Futures in Philadelphia shows a stunning 100% satisfaction rate from both youth and the people they harmed, in addition to a near-zero recidivism rate for the participating youth. These findings are deeply personal to me – I served as the inaugural manager of Healing Futures before joining CFSY and am overjoyed to have the opportunity to celebrate and share what the program has achieved.
“Healing Futures: A Restorative Justice Response to Philadelphia’s Youth Punishment System” is more than just data; it’s a collection of stories that explore how restorative justice doesn’t just change one life but has the ability to heal entire communities. I want to extend my deepest thanks to Hanae Victoria Mason, who authored the report, and the entire team at Youth Art & Self-empowerment Project (YASP), home of Healing Futures, who have already received well-earned attention for the publication.
In a world that often feels fractured by division and harm, the program is a model for what happens when we choose connection and healing over punishment and blame. It has profound implications for how we respond to even the most serious harm committed by children. The report urges the expansion of this model to include youth facing more serious charges, a step I believe is crucial.
My role now, as the Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager at CFSY, is to build on these possibilities. We are working to connect the powerful restorative justice work being done across the country, championed by so many of you, including many formerly condemned children, with our society’s current response to youth harm.
I truly believe restorative justice diversion programs like Healing Futures offer a blueprint for a more just and compassionate future. It’s a testament to the power of seeing the humanity in every young person and giving them the chance to repair harm and build a different path forward.
I invite you to join me in celebrating this incredible achievement. Please take a moment to read the full report, scan the summary factsheet, and share these products widely with your networks, using this social media toolkit. Let’s amplify this transformative model to create spaces for genuine accountability, dialogue, and repair.
Thank you for being part of this crucial movement.
In solidarity and hope,
Ghani Songster
Transformative Healing and Restorative Justice Manager
Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY)
