ReStart Academy @ Friends

ReStart Academy @ Friends is a full day high school for 16 – 18 year old students who are over-age, under-credited, and either released from custody (Rikers and DYFJ facilities), sentenced to probation, or court-involved. ReStart is a collaborative effort between Friends of the Island and District 79, the alternative school district of the New York City Department of Education.

According to Friends of the Island “ReStart offers a high school curriculum and allows students to catch up or stay on track with high school graduation requirements. The academy offers small class sizes and the personal support that students need to advance academically. Students are also offered child daycare and comprehensive academic, college, career, and transition counseling. ReStart allows young people returning home to immediately return to the classroom.”

Each youth member who joins Friends gets a single Youth Advocate, who serves as a counselor, mentor, coach and friend.