Following Your Compass: Co-founders from the local HRI organization, New Direction, discuss path and motivations for impactful work

Newark, NJ — The path to better outcomes often requires a new direction. Those words are the basis and foundation of the Newark-based High-Risk Intervention (HRI) organization, New Direction. Founded in 2022, the organization provides conflict resolution, mediation, and outreach to the community to prevent violence, according to New Direction Chief Executive Officer Shadee Dukes. 

“We are effective by using our relationships because we are from the community and the demographic we look to serve,” said Dukes. “We utilize our relationships with friends, family members and associates to decrease homicides and crime inside of our community.” 

The organization is co-founded by Dukes and President of New Direction Khalil Tutt, who both have deep roots within the city and previous involvement in the criminal justice system. In their youth, they both participated in gang activity, which resulted in separate incidents of their incarceration. While incarcerated, Dukes and Tutt grew and became determined to prevent future generations of young people from engaging in violence and experiencing incarceration. 

New Direction is also a part of the Brick City Peace Collective (BCPC) along with My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Newark, an initiative of the Opportunity Youth Network (OYN). Through BCPC’s monthly meetings, the group focuses on keeping young people safe from violent crime, the sixth milestone of the MBK Key Life Milestones, established by the MBK Alliance, a program of the Obama Foundation. Last year, MBK Newark was named one of four MBK Model Communities for its success in achieving progress toward milestone six and the city’s public safety work.

“I started doing things inside of my community, like gift bags, block parties, and such,” said Dukes. “In 2016, I became a city elected official, a South Ward District Leader…and then in 2020, Khalil came home. I was doing a podcast and I wanted to help him get his story out there to the masses so he could tell his own story. We didn't formally put it on paper until a few years later, but New Direction was born that day.”

Their approach to high-risk interventionist work and conflict resolution is nontraditional. According to Dukes, Newark residents can find members of the organization at schools, prisons, and outside nightclubs. However, specifically in their services for young people, they often get involved through referrals from the court system and their schools.

Rob Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OYN, said, “The work that New Direction is doing, especially with young people, has already impacted the city. They are a key part of the city's violence intervention ecosystem and are helping Newark make continued progress across all milestones, but especially with milestone six. Organizations like New Direction are part of the reason why the city was recognized for its public safety work and they’re a part of the city’s progress.” 

Although it is a budding organization, New Direction and the young people it directly supports have already participated in numerous opportunities. The largest one yet was in April when a group of 20 young people had the opportunity to be on stage for Lil Durk's set during the song “All My Life” for Drake’s “It’s All a Blur” tour. The young people were selected based on their growth and improvement since joining New Direction. 

Tutt said, “The most important thing of all is being able to allow the kids that have been doing good, ones that we've been, you know, going to court arguing for getting them out and letting the judge we're gonna work with them. [That] they’ve been working doing good and then being able to be up there, to be a part of that is definitely strong for the culture. It will bring us to generate more kids to come and let them know that y'all can do good. Y'all can see the rewards and be on the stage. We all can become stars.” 

To learn more about New Direction, follow them on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/new_direction360/.