Working as an intern in the Baltimore City Mayor’s office, 2010 OSI-Baltimore fellow Jessica Turral was given a task— to research resources available to juveniles charged as adults in the city’s justice system.

When she discovered the absence of available programs and services, Turral looked for ways she could help this often overlooked population.

She combined her research, skills and ideas to establish Hand in Hand Baltimore, an organization that helps juveniles charged as adults in the justice system and juveniles transitioning from the justice system through mentoring. For Turral, getting to know the population she was working with first allowed her to see the most important thing her program could offer—empowerment.

“With constant support and positive reinforcement, people can change and grow. Who someone is at 16 doesn’t have to be who they are at 30,” Turral says. “They just need the support and people to show them that they believe in these young men and they will believe in themselves.”

Through Turral’s efforts and local partnerships, Hand in Hand Baltimore has been able to provide mentoring programs three times a week for the young men, many of whom still are incarcerated. They also receive support in areas such as therapeutic counseling, academic advisement, career guidance and case management.

Turral hopes that through Hand in Hand, program participants learn to make a difference in their own lives as well as the lives of people in their communities. She also hopes that Hand in Hand Baltimore will grow beyond the city limits.

“I would like to see Hand in Hand Baltimore become Hand in Hand New York or Hand in Hand DC,” says Turral. “This is something that works.”