Mayor Fischer Congratulates Inaugural Cohort Of Louisville City’s THRIVE Civic Engagement Fellowship

Press release from the City of Louisville:

November 2, 2020

Mayor Greg Fischer congratulated the inaugural cohort of the THRIVE Civic Engagement Fellowship, a two-year restorative justice pilot program for young Black men who are committed to pursuing careers in public service. The four fellows took center stage in a THRIVE virtual celebration on Friday that highlighted their journeys and accomplishments.

“Our goal with this two-year development and training program was to help build confidence and set these young men on a path to leadership in our city and beyond,” the Mayor said. “I am proud of their work and their commitment to being role models who can inspire others to make transformative changes in their own lives.”

The THRIVE fellowship is a privately funded community leadership/civic engagement initiative designed in partnership with Cities United, an organization created by mayors across the U.S. to prevent youth violence. The fellowship was funded by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, a private foundation that awards grants to educational and social justice initiatives in communities throughout the U.S.

“Cities United is excited to celebrate our first cohort of innovative fellows, as well as the team who has been involved with the THRIVE fellowship,” said Cities United’s Executive Director Anthony Smith. “It has been an honor for us to work with each of the fellows as they shared their insight and bold ideas that will help enhance the fellowship moving forward. We cannot wait to see how these young leaders transform our city, state and country.”

The fellowships were offered to Black men between the ages of 22 and 26 who had been justice involved. The city’s Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) has led the fellowship’s training and development program in cooperation with partners such as New Legacy, the Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy program (HEAT), the Louisville Urban League, and 15,000 Degrees.

THRIVE fellow Gary Cosby believes the fellowship was time well-spent and has helped him to accomplish multiple goals, including completing New Legacy’s Jeremiah Project, a faith-based community initiative committed to breaking the cycle of chronic recidivism.

“Since I started the fellowship, I have gotten off probation, completed the Jeremiah Project, and received my OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health administration) certificate in basic construction,” he said. “For me, the fellowship was a way to get back on track to being successful.”

Vincent James, who oversees OSHN as the city’s Chief of Community Building, said he couldn’t be more proud of the fellows’ life-changing achievements, which included college work; lobbying in Washington, D.C., through #cut50, a national effort to reduce the prison population while making communities safer; and full-time employment.

“These four men have proven they can accomplish greatness when given an opportunity,” Chief James said. “The THRIVE fellowship builds compassion and empathy, and we are thrilled with the incredible strides these dedicated young leaders have made during their involvement with the program. I look forward to seeing them continue making a positive impact in their lives and our community.”

The fellows worked as Metro employees through their training on topics like civic engagement, leadership development, case management, and workforce training.

To learn more about THRIVE and OSHN, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/safe-neighborhoods.

This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.