Inspired by award winning director Ava DuVernay's work, four African-American female judges created Pipeline to Possibilities (P2P) program to educate high school students about the criminal justice system. Judges Shequitta Kelly, Stephanie Huff, Lisa Green and Amber Givens designed this program to change the pipeline to prison narrative and empower high school students to become leaders. The program has been featured on Fox 4, WFAA Channel 8, CW33 TV, Apple TV, Good Morning Texas, Heart of the City Radio Show, Black Enterprise, DFW Child, Dallas Morning News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a series of social media outlets.
The Pipeline to Possibilities program consists of six sessions at a high school in the Dallas Independent School School District during the Fall Semester and Spring Semester. The program targets those high schools in the zip codes with high rates of pregnancy, truancy and crime. The program takes place on a selected Wednesday out of the month and is free of charge. The students are provided with materials for each session and are randomly awarded with gift cards, P2P t-shirts and cash gifts for their participation.
Since its inception in 2016, Pipeline to Possibilities has had over 1000 students graduate from the program. Past participation from Dallas high schools include Madison High School, Lincoln High School, Roosevelt High School, Carter High School, South Oak Cliff High School, Kimball High School, Bryan Adams High School, Conrad High School, Wilmer Hutchins High School, Pinkston High School, Seagoville High School and Dr. Frederick Haynes, III Global Preparatory Academy at Paul Quinn.
The program has also been conducted in local churches including Friendship West Baptist Church, Concord Church, and Disciple Central Community Church.
High school students are selected by the school's counselor to participate in the program. The program requires the school to select between 50-100 students to participate with an even ratio of boys and girls. The program also enlists the participation of professional mentors, UNT law school interns, volunteers, speakers, nurses, doctors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, law enforcement, community organizations, recruiting representatives from colleges and universities, and the military in order to facilitate sessions applicable to them. This comprehensive curriculum educates high school students on the criminal justice system and provides them with the life skills needed to make good decisions.
Pipeline to Possibilities is committed to educating youth on various aspects of the criminal justice system and inspiring them to become leaders in society.
The program's needs include session materials such as binders, printed materials, gift cards, cash prizes, honorariums for speakers, hosts, DJs and photographers. Funds are needed for travel to various conferences and speaking engagements. The program also hosts events throughout the year for our students and the community at large.
Pipeline to Possibilities is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and will not tolerate discrimination, biases, harassment, or bullying of any kind. This aligns with our commitment to our mission of empowering high school students on understanding the criminal justice system, as well as their health and careers. We believe diversity enriches the experience of our participants, and celebrates the richness of our community.
Organization name
Pipeline to Possibilities
other names
P2P
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx
BIPOC Leadership
Board Chair
Address
PO BOX 224561