Important Update From LYRIC
For the past 15 years, LYRIC’s Founders Hannah Seigel Proff and Michael Juba, our Board, and Volunteers have worked diligently to educate young people in the community to feel empowered to exercise their 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendment rights when interacting with the police.
The organization has seen multiple legislative and administrative changes, navigated COVID-19 restrictions, and advocated for youth as they participated in activist movements. Over the past 15 years, LYRIC volunteers have trained roughly 50,000 young people in schools, community centers, and justice programs.
The vision for LYRIC has always been to expand, reach more young people, and provide more comprehensive and needed services. When our fearless founder, Hannah Seigel Proff, decided last year to step down as LYRIC’s unpaid executive Director and Board Chair, the board began planning for the next stage of the organization and our important work.
With great honor and excitement, LYRIC can officially announce our new home at the Transformative Justice Project of Colorado (formerly the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center).
Founded in 2010, CJDC initially focused on ensuring excellence in juvenile defense. Over the years, it expanded its scope to include nonpartisan research, policy analysis, and robust defense for youth prosecuted as adults.
In 2023, the organization transitioned into the Transformative Justice Project under the leadership of Elie Zwiebel, Barbara Garza, and Erin Pier. The work already being done by TJP closely aligns with LYRIC’s mission and values to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and systemic oppression within legal, education, and mental healthcare systems. The LYRIC “Give ‘Em Five” curriculum and program will complement TJP’s current Believe in Youth, Education First, and Community Cares programs, all working to provide holistic, interdisciplinary wraparound services to young people and their families – all with the goal of keeping young people in school and out of prison.
LYRIC and TJP appreciate the continued support of our community as we embark on this new chapter.
Together, we strive to make a lasting impact on the lives of young people and their families, advocating for a just and equitable world.
We hope you will join us on September 24th to honor Hannah Seigel Proff and Michael Juba’s vision, celebrate 15 years of LYRIC’s work, and usher in a new era with the Transformative Justice Project.
Sincerely,
LYRIC Board of Directors
Hannah Seigel Proff
Michael Juba
Antoinette Gifford
Brendan Rodman
Elie Zwiebel
Ezra Aldern
Ian Farrell
Kate Crampton
Megan Casimir
Phelicia Kossie-Butler
Tally Zuckerman
Tim Tarr
