Enisoné L. Kadiri

What I do here:

I’m responsible for overseeing and coordinating OJEN’s Outreach department where we run community-based public legal education initiatives for youth living in vulnerable environments, or youth from communities with historically negative relationships with the legal system. 

What does that mean? OJEN’s Outreach department engages community agencies to tailor the joint delivery of responsive, meaningful, interactive justice education programs to youth and their adult allies in socioeconomically disadvantaged, and highly policed neighbourhoods.

My best OJEN experience:

My fondest memory is working with a group of youth in a community where tensions between youth and police were very tense. We ran a session that focused on promoting positive interactions between youth and local police officers where the police were able to give the youth insight into the factors they take into account as police officers and youth were able to share their stories and their policing concerns. The workshop ended with the youth and police conversing, shaking hands, laughing, and engaging in a playful arm wrestle.

The most useful thing I learned in school:

The most important thing I learned in school is that “it is never too late” to do what you want to do. When facilitating some of our programs with older youth, I use that quote…