RJOY (Restorative Justice Oakland Youth) is a local non-profit organization that hosts youth and adult programs year-round. RJOY brings together different people all over Oakland to discuss important issues such as incarceration, racism, and motherhood, as well as topics like art, empowerment, and activism. I completed an eight-month internship with RJOY last year, but have kept in contact with the community ever since.
Ayo Lewis has been youth program coordinator since 2022 and leads circles where youth talk about the topics they want to while gaining insight on their peers and the city they live in.
Oakland Voices sat down with Lewis to discuss the importance of teaching community and connection to the younger residents of Oakland and showcase how RJOY has impacted the lives of many people by simply engaging in important dialogue. This discussion made clear how easy it is for people to find community with one another when organizations like RJOY make it their mission to provide them a safe space to do so.
Oakland Voices: What inspires and drives you to continue and further your work at RJOY?
Ayo Lewis: I started in politics, and I wanted to be an activist, but I wasn’t really into so much the ‘drama’ of things, like who said this who said that. I was more interested in what policies could I make to make life better for people. I found myself dissatisfied at all of the levels of government that I worked – I was an intern in congress for a little bit, I worked for some senators, I was working for the county, and it all can be good work, but I was frustrated that I felt removed from the community each time. That’s how I got into restorative justice work, which teaches, and is a form of direct service, and you can see the effect you are having on people everyday. So that’s one of my motivations or inspirations.
The other i seeing the transformation that happens with people, usually when people first come into the program they might be shy or they might think a certain way and if nothing else, at the end of the program they are able to empathize more with others and think more about their actions and what effect they want to have on the community. I feel like that is revolutionary work: changing people’s hearts and getting them to think about the collective. That’s my inspiration.
What parts of your education, family, community, or overall background have guided you to where you are now?
Ayo: Good question…I have no idea. *laughs* I did not go to school to be a restorative justice teacher or trainer. I think what has mostly guided me here is not really my education or connections, more so my values. I got into this role at RJOY roller skating. I was roller skating around the lake and I saw a group of men sitting around a fire with food, and I was hungry. So I sat down, and eventually I got interested, because they were talking about difficult life situations and it was a real safe space. It was rare, to me it’s still rare, to find a group of black men that are vulnerable and support each other and are open about their struggles – I felt like that was something I was missing, and so I attended the circles.
I supported other people too with whatever wisdom or experience I had, and I felt like it was group therapy. I thought; ‘I like this.’ Still not necessarily trying to pursue it, but a job was offered to me and I went into it and started learning about restorative justice. I think it was really just something that happened organically, but it was more so that the work that I do here was in alignment with the values that I hold.
What is something you would change about RJOY?
Ayo: Something that I would change? I think that the organization is still growing and it’s always changing. One of the things I am pushing for is really expanding the youth program so that we’re reaching more students, and there’s more space for youth to talk about what matters to them and to be themselves, without feeling like they have to transform – even though I feel like that’s already work that RJOY is doing.
What is your favorite part about the youth program?
Ayo: My favorite part of the youth program is the community. My most favorite part is when youth come up to me and say ‘I really appreciate you, you’re like a brother or like a mentor, you really helped me out with what you taught me,’ or ‘you really helped me out by being yourself.’ All of that is really affirming.
What is your hope or vision for RJOY in the coming years?
Ayo: My hope for RJOY is that eventually we create a restorative Oakland, and beyond that a restorative Bay Area by teaching folks the concepts and the values of restorative justice and giving people the ability to empathize with each other and see themselves and one another as human.
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