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Teach Emotions, Inc ™️

@teachemotions

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▪️Building Emotionally Strong Communities through Social- Emotional Learning 🥰
▪️Registered DOE Vendor
@teachemotionsbooks & @teachemotionsfoundation

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Last week, AFJ welcomed special guest, Darryl Epps Jr., to our Youth Empowerment workshop, hosted by AFJ Facilitator Dr. Dennis Ibude.

Currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Office of Higher Education in Prison for the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Darryl shared a deeply inspiring narrative of resilience and transformation. Having been incarcerated at a young age, he openly discussed how early trauma from contact with the justice system shaped his youth. However, Darryl refused to let his past mistakes or his time behind bars define his future. Instead, he channeled his focus into academics, ultimately graduating from Cornell’s Prison Education Program (CPEP). Following his release, Darryl dedicated his career to advocacy and education, holding impactful roles at The Fortune Society and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice before stepping into his current leadership position at SUNY. Our Participants were entirely captivated by his journey. While his presentation carried immense emotional weight, Darryl’s approachable and relatable presence deeply resonated with the audience.

@drdennisibude
@teachemotions
@sunyhep
@cornellprisonreform

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Initiative Village 🤎

We’ve officially wrapped up yet another community initiative, and our hearts are FULL. 🥹🤎

Our Back to School Drive was a huge success! Together, we were able to provide 85+ book bags, school supply kits, and free haircuts to students in our community as they prepare to head back to school. 📚✏️🎒💈

But this was about so much more than backpacks and supplies. It was about reminding our young people that they are supported, they are seen, and their community believes in them.

A HUGE thank you to our incredible collaboration partners, @teachemotions and @embodystudiobk , for coming together and helping us bring this vision to life. When organizations, businesses, and community members come together with a shared purpose, we can create something truly impactful. 🤎

To @chasity.anissa ,@theonlyyyant_ , @callmedjvirgo , @lucky._ke, @she.calls.me.handsome ,every sponsor, donor, barber, volunteer, supporter, and person who contributed supplies, resources, time, or funding — THANK YOU. None of this happens without people who are willing to pour back into the community.

This is what The Hope Initiative is about: creating opportunities, building community, and showing our youth that there is always someone rooting for them.

And trust us… this is only the beginning!

We’re excited for more collaborations, more community initiatives, more partnerships, and more opportunities to serve our people together. There’s so much more to come.

“ Rooted in hope. Driven by love. Building brighter futures — one heart at a time.”

#TheHopeInitiative #InitiativeVillage #backtoschool2026📚✏️ #communityinitiative #communityimpact

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Black-owned businesses have been an important part of the AFJ community, showing up for our Participants in so many ways.

They have hired our young people. Fed our families. Supported our events. Shared their spaces and expertise. Helped us tell our story. And, importantly, they have shown our Participants what Black entrepreneurship, leadership, and ownership can look like.

This Black Business Month, we’re celebrating the incredible businesses that continue to open their doors to AFJ and our young people.

To each of you, thank you for investing in our community and believing in what’s possible.

#BlackBusinessMonth #BlackOwnedBusiness #AvenuesForJustice #HIREUP #NYC

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🎒✨ BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE ✨🎒

Wednesday, August 19th | 12PM–5PM | Outside 320 Tompkins Avenue

FREE for all kids! Come through for backpacks, school supplies, free haircuts, hygiene products, and more. Let’s help our students start the year strong 💪🏽📚

Presented by @EmbodyStudio, @hope.initiativellc, and @teachemotions

Want to help? We’re accepting backpacks, supplies, hygiene products, gift cards & donations 💛

See you there!

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The strongest conversations are often the ones that create a mindset shift, challenge assumptions, or help people connect individual experiences to larger systems and solutions.

At Avenues for Justice’s Juneteenth Father’s Day panel, there were several important themes on the table—fatherhood, Juneteenth, the history of mass incarceration, and the experiences of Black men.

@therealarbernard brought a strong presence and conviction to the conversation. His voice carried both authority and passion, which helped ground some of the discussion as he shared with our Participants that he has 7 sons and 28 grandchildren.

Our Participants also appreciated hearing from @thebuckesq. His willingness to share personal aspects of his story created a different level of connection. Vulnerability and specificity are often where our young people lean in most because they move beyond broad intellectual and policy themes into lived experience.

AFJ Participant Aaron shared his reflections with the room, offering a powerful perspective on leadership, growth, and the impact of opportunity.

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What does Juneteenth have to do with mass incarceration in America today?

In this week’s Tea with the ED, Executive Director Liz Frederick explores the connections between our nation’s history and the realities many young people continue to face.

She also highlights the story of Aaron, an AFJ Participant whose journey is a powerful reminder that with opportunity, support, and determination, young people can defy the odds.

Read the full letter from Liz using the LINK IN OUR BIO!

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What does Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) really look like in practice?

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Dennis Ibude of @teachemotions to #TLIC2026!

Don’t miss out on Dr. Ibude’s session to discover what SEL really is by grounding it in real classroom, school, and community practices, and explore how it can help create schools that blend emotional intelligence with academic excellence.

🌐 Online-Only Days: May 28th-29th, 2026
📍 New York and Online: June 10th-12th, 2026

Learn more and register at: learningideasconf.org/registration

#SocialEmotionalLearning #SEL #TeachEmotionsInc #schools #emotionalintelligence #academicexcellence #learningconference #edtech #conference2026 #hybridconference #LearningTechnologies

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Ace: “I’ve had this seat for 5 years.”
Blu: “Cool… scoot over.”

Ace: processing life changes
Blu: living her best puppy life

When you’re the older sibling but the baby already runs things 😭🐾

Follow @teachemotions

#BluAndAce #ToyPoodleCrew #BigBrotherAce #PuppyBlu #DogDadLife

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This week, we want to welcome our first ever AFJ Intern who is a current Participant, Aaron!

Aaron will be working 20 hours a week with AFJ over the next 8 weeks on various projects, most notably social media content creation.

In this post are the first two sessions of Aaron’s photography: Haircuts with Greg Purnell and Youth Empowerment with Dr. Dennis Ibude.

Aaron’s internship is a major step for both his career development and the development of AFJ’s HIRE Up paid internship program offering opportunities in-house.

We would love if you gave a warm welcome to Aaron in the comments! We can’t wait to share more of his work throughout the spring.

@greg_purnell
@drdennisibude
@teachemotions

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🎙️ FIRST PODCAST VIDEO IS LIVE 🎥
Hope for the Streets has officially entered the chat.

In our very first episode, we dove deep into self-worth and confidence—not just in theory, but in real life. Especially for young Black men who are constantly navigating pressure, expectations, and survival while trying to become whole.

This isn’t surface-level motivation. This is about who you are when nobody’s clapping.

I’m joined every episode by my brother Dr. Dennis Ibude of Teach Emotions Inc., bringing inspiring insight, emotional intelligence, and real tools that meet people where they are.

Both The Hope Initiative and Teach Emotions offer programs, mentorship, workshops, and services designed to actually support growth—mentally, emotionally, and purposefully. Tap in. Use what’s available to you. It’s there for a reason.

🗣️ Call to action:
What makes you worthy when no one is watching?

Watch. Reflect. Comment. Share with someone who needs this conversation.

LINK IN BIO📌

#HopeForTheStreets #TheHopeInitiative #TeachEmotions #BlackMenHeal #SelfWorth Confidence MentalHealthMatters EmotionalIntelligence PurposeOverPressure CommunityCare

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In our 46th year, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) didn’t just show up in 2025. Our Participants’ success stories illustrated what’s possible when young people are met with genuine opportunity and a continuum of care, instead of judgment; and with investment, instead of abandonment.

691 young people from 48 of NYC’s 51 Council Districts walked through our doors in 2025. They came in record numbers, even as funding decreased and uncertainty became our reality. In the face of all this, AFJ’s court advocacy and HIRE Up services were more essential than ever!

The numbers tell part of the story: highest in-person attendance and engagement in AFJ’s 46-year history. But the real story lives in the young people who remained resilient and kept showing up.

Yes, 2025 was challenging. Funding decreased. Political headwinds intensified. Uncertainty defined the landscape. But here’s what also happened: Record participation. Record engagement. Record belief.

When systems fail young people, AFJ doesn’t. When doors close, ours remain open. When the world says “no,” we believe in yes. Our Participants showed us what resilience looks like. They showed up to workshops, to case management sessions, to certification trainings, to debates, to internships. They showed up for themselves, for each other, for their futures.

And we showed up for them.

In 2026, AFJ is committing to Justice in Action. The AFJ Team will show up every single day to prove that incarceration being an alternative isn’t just a “nice” public safety concept-—it is a necessity!

Justice in Action is the Security certification earned by a 19-year-old AFJ Participant who now has a pathway to stable income. It’s the therapy session that helps a young person process trauma instead of repeating cycles. It’s the debate workshop where a Participant discovers that their voice matters. It’s the sealed court case that no longer defines someone’s future.

We’re no longer just talking about what young people could be. We’re going to show our young people what they will become when given real support and real resources.

READ FULL NEWSLETTER USING THE LINK IN OUR BIO!

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A Fresh Start 2026 at P.S. 202K! Dr Dennis Ibude facilitated Reset Assemblies for all students to kick off the New Year! Students discussed their emotional triggers, thoughts, feelings, actions, and results. #reset #socialemotionallearning #happynewyear #infinitepotentialexistswithin #d19allthewayupandbeyond

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