2026 Grantee Spotlight: Fresh Lifelines for Youth

Sobrato Philanthropies is proud to support Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), an organization partnering with youth to unlock their potential, disrupt the pipeline to prison, and advance justice in California and beyond. In the last 25 years, FLY has served over 50,000 youth across the Bay Area. We recently connected with Tracy Genica, Senior Director of Advancement and Communications, to hear how FLY youth are leading change across systems and how the organization is deepening its investment in long-term opportunity and economic mobility.

“At FLY, young people are not just participating in programs, they are shaping them, leading them, and transforming the systems that impact their lives,” Tracy shared. “We’re seeing what’s possible when the youth voice is not just included, but centered.”

The belief that young people with lived experience are closest to the challenges hold the solutions, continues to drive FLY’s advocacy and programmatic work. In 2025, FLY co-sponsored AB 1376 — landmark legislation that was signed into law, ending endless probation for youth in California. Prior to its passage, young people could remain on probation for years without a clear path to completion. Today, probation is capped at 12 months, with a meaningful review at 9 months — creating a system that is more developmentally appropriate and focused on growth.

This victory was the result of sustained, youth-led advocacy. FLY youth spoke alongside Assemblymember Mia Bonta, shared their lived experiences with policymakers, and helped reframe what accountability and support should look like. As one young person shared, “Youth on probation should leave better off than when they started, not stuck, not criminalized, not ignored.”

While policy change is critical, FLY is equally focused on building pathways that prevent system involvement and expand opportunity. Through programs like Peerpoint, FLY’s restorative justice model in San Mateo County, young people are diverted from suspension through peer-led accountability, goal setting, and support. By keeping students in school and connected to their communities, Peerpoint interrupts the cycle that too often leads from school discipline to justice system involvement.

At the same time, FLY is intentionally deepening its focus on career and education pathways as a core driver of long-term economic mobility. Across its programs, youth are building critical skills, gaining work experience, and accessing paid leadership opportunities that expand their networks and future options. From stipended advocacy roles and public speaking opportunities to fellowships and professional development experiences, FLY is creating tangible on-ramps into careers, particularly for young people who have historically been excluded from these opportunities.

This investment in youth leadership is not just programmatic; it is organizational. In a powerful reflection of FLY’s impact, alumni are increasingly stepping into formal leadership roles within the organization, most recently, serving on FLY’s Board of Directors. These leaders bring both lived experience and professional expertise, helping to guide strategy, strengthen programs, and ensure that FLY remains accountable to the communities it serves.

“We are building something that doesn’t end when a young person completes a program,” Tracy said. “We’re investing in long-term leadership, creating opportunities for young people to come back as mentors, staff, advocates, and now, as board members shaping the future of the organization.”

Stories like Eboni’s bring this vision to life. Initially referred to Peerpoint as an alternative to suspension, she is now a peer leader at her school and a member of FLY’s Alumni Advisory Board. As the keynote speaker at FLY’s annual Showcase, she reflected, “Hope is a quiet and powerful force that shapes our lives and guides us through difficult times… inspiring others in ways we may never fully understand.” What began as a moment of intervention became a pathway to leadership, confidence, and purpose.

Across California, FLY youth continue to drive change at both the local and state levels, advocating for improved conditions in juvenile facilities, shaping county-level initiatives, and supporting policies that expand opportunity while opposing those that would cause harm. Their efforts are not only influencing systems today but building a future where more young people can stay connected to education, employment, and community.

As FLY looks toward the future, the organization is expanding its reach and deepening its impact. It aims to serve more transition-age youth, focus on prevention, and enhance opportunities that promote lifelong success, such as fellowships and workforce development initiatives. FLY is committed to advancing a vision where systems are designed with and for the young people who are most affected by them.

“None of this work happens in isolation,” Tracy shared. “It takes partnership, trust, and a shared belief in young people’s potential. With the support of Sobrato Philanthropies, we are not only reaching more youth, we are building pathways for them to lead, to thrive, and to create lasting change in their communities.”