Not Just a Class, But a Movement: UCC, New Direction360 Empower the Community's Newest Peace Ambassadors

In the heart of Newark, where systemic challenges often cast long shadows over the aspirations of the city’s youth, a powerful alliance is illuminating a new path toward peace and professional excellence.

A recent collaboration between United Community Corporation (UCC) and New Direction360 sparked the creation of the Junior Violence Interrupter (JVI) Level Up Leadership Workshop, a high-stakes investment in the human capital of Newark. The program is a 30-Day Leadership & Violence Prevention Workshop that serves as a critical, proactive intervention against the negative influences that often stifle urban potential.

By merging UCC’s expansive social service infrastructure with New Direction360’s targeted violence-prevention expertise, this partnership has created a sanctuary for growth where Newark’s emerging leaders are being guided with mentorship, accountability, and purpose.

On February 17, officials and community leaders from the two organizations co-hosted a workshop at the West Side Park Community Center in Newark that served as a call to action for young residents ready to take initiative and elevate their potential. The program provided participants with the “soft skills” such as strategic decision-making, peer-to-peer advocacy, and professional reflection.

“This is a powerful collaboration of community partners coming together to put our youth first,” said Terrel Prince, a UCC CBVI Violence Interrupter.

“Workshops like this are essential in counteracting the negative influences our young people face every day and providing them with positive guidance, support, and opportunity.”

Beyond the vital work of violence interruption, the workshop addressed the practicalities of upward mobility. In communities that have historically faced barriers to stable employment, the “Level Up” curriculum provided a roadmap for navigating the modern workforce.

By equipping residents with the tools to translate their lived experiences into professional assets, the program is aimed to help to strengthen the local workforce from the bottom up, ensuring that Newark’s economic growth is inclusive of its most resilient residents.

Khalil Tutt, President & Founder of New Direction360, framed the 30-day journey as a fundamental shift in identity for the city’s youth. In his charge to the participants, he emphasized the gravity of their new roles.

“This program is not just a class, it is a movement to build the next generation of peace ambassadors, protectors and role models in our communities,” said Tutt.

The goal of the program is to have participants step back into their neighborhoods as young leaders and as “peace ambassadors” armed with a new vocabulary of success. Through the collaboration between UCC and New Direction360, both organizations are working to invest in a young person’s leadership potential, not only to change a life, but to secure the future of the community.