Dalai Lama Fellows
Kayla M. Foster
Leadership Vision
I want to be a leader that is connected to my community, centers impacted individuals, addresses root causes, actively collaborates with others, and leads with love and compassion. My leadership engages ideas of creating connections through storytelling, finding authentic alignment with values, and removing barriers to resources and knowledge so that others are empowered to be the change within their own lives and communities. As a leader, I seek to honor the individual while spotlighting the interconnectedness of us all in order to move society towards a more equitable world in which people care deeply about each other and utilize empathy, compassion, and accountability to address harms and find healing.
Project Description
Project Reset Queens is a pre-court diversion program that offers a new response to low level arrests that is proportionate, effective, and rooted in restorative justice. Created by the Center for Court Innovation and housed in the Queens Community Justice Center, Project Reset Queens works to divert people away from the traditional legal system to community based programming where they reflect and engage in dialogue on community, values, decision making, restorative justice, their arrest experiences, accountability, healing, and more. Through a partnership with the Queens District Attorney's Office, once individuals referred to Project Reset Queens complete programming they do not have to go to court and ultimately have their cases dismissed without a criminal record.