Representation Matters! Sophia Peake - Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project

We spoke with Sophia Peake, the Development and Operations Coordinator at the Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project (YSRP). Their ultimate goal is to make sure that children who are being charged as adults do not end up in adult jails and prisons. 

Sophia was drawn to fundraising because she saw “a huge disparity in a lot of the organizations that work for communities that look like me — black communities, brown communities — and a stark difference in terms of leadership and staff diversity.” From her broad experience, she shared these tips with us:

Create a partnership with clients:

Sophia and YSRP do the “opposite of what has historically been done,” making their client partners active participants as part of building a strong relationship with them. “That's why we deem it a partnership.”

Help clients to tell their own stories:

“If we're telling their story, we want to make sure that whatever story that we're telling is the accurate representation of how they want to see themselves and ultimately, allowing them to tell theirs their own stories. … We’re just the conduits.”

Strengthen your mission by building trust:

Sophia asserts that one of the biggest challenges to overcome when you are dealing with vulnerable populations is a lack of trust because of the barriers they have faced over the course of their lives. “Focusing on trust when you are telling stories and the humanizing way you're building that level of trust, I think it strengthens relationships.”