Our
Mission
Boost high school to college student engagement and on-time graduation through peer-based mentoring, youth organizing, employment, and service-learning initiatives, which take on a social justice approach.
Thank you for visiting! Since 2006, The Gem Project has been proudly headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, delivering high-quality programming that fosters leadership and community service among school-age youth, adolescents, and young adults. Over the years, we’ve stretched our impact nationwide, engaging youth from across the country in our transformative programs. Evolving and consolidating our efforts, we offer service-based fellowships that connect high school and college students to meaningful opportunities for growth and leadership.
Boost high school to college student engagement and on-time graduation through peer-based mentoring, youth organizing, employment, and service-learning initiatives, which take on a social justice approach.
Our vision is a world where every young person, regardless of their background, is equipped with the tools and resources to catalyze positive change in their communities.
For over 18 years, The Gem Project has transformed the lives of young people through a unique peer-based fellowship model that empowers high school and college students to take an active role in community advocacy, leadership, and social justice.
We champion on time graduation through peer mentoring, youth organizing, employment, and service-learning, all rooted in a social justice framework. Our efforts are driven by ‘4’ core justice pillars: education, criminal justice, health justice, and democracy.
Traditional service-learning follows a 5-step process: investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration, with learning often confined to the classroom and the service itself. However, this approach rarely addresses deeper systemic issues underlying social challenges.
By critically examining identity, race, privilege, policy, systemic barriers, and power through a social justice lens, we equip our fellows to tackle societal issues more inclusively and effectively.
The Gem Project
Your Source for Youth-Driven Change and Social Justice.