“I struggled with homelessness as a young mom, and a very nice donor once told me I should sign up for Section 8… I’d been on every list in eight counties over ten years. It took me five to get on the list and eight more before I got housing. She wouldn’t know that, because she only knew the idea of a program, not the reality.”  

—Jessica Nowlan, President of ReImagine Freedom, former Executive Director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center 

Stories like Jessica Nowlan’s show why those who have lived the systems must shape them. People closest to the challenges are best positioned to design solutions that actually work—and in California’s evolving youth justice system, many are leading the way. 

These leaders, called “credible messengers,” draw on lived experience to serve as mentors, advocates, and agents of change. They are essential voices in the state’s shift toward a rehabilitative, county-led approach, offering insights that illuminate the realities of impacted communities. That’s why OYCR invests in partnerships—through grantmaking, technical assistance, and dialogue—to ensure that credible messengers guide the reimagining of care and accountability. 

One such organizational partner is the Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC), based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Jessica previously served as Executive Director. OYCR has collaborated with the YWFC on the Ending Girls’ Incarceration initiative and supported them with grant funding since 2024. For more than three decades, the YWFC has provided mentorship, training, employment, advocacy, and day-to-day support for girls and gender-expansive young people navigating systems that have criminalized them. 

As Jessica describes the organization’s ethos: “What if there was a place where they had real economic opportunity—where they were paid fairly, had decision-making power, and the space and time to reflect on their experiences, turning that insight into the power to transform not only their own lives but society as a whole?” 

The YWFC has since launched three additional organizations that support young women and trans youth on the margins in becoming self-determined, all led by individuals with lived experience. These include ReImagine Freedom, which Jessica now leads, and the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, under the leadership of Amika Mota—with whom we also recently spoke. Both know firsthand what it means to be incarcerated as young women, return home, and rebuild. Through policy advocacy, storytelling, restorative programming, and more, they have transformed those experiences into pathways for others to do the same. 

“If we want a different society, we need different leaders,” says Jessica. 

Jessica Nowlan & ReImagine Freedom 

Jessica experienced homelessness and incarceration beginning at age 13. Hired by the YWFC out of juvenile hall, she found a community that not only believed in her but also trusted young women and trans youth to lead. She went on to serve as Executive Director for nearly seven years. 

“People underestimate the brilliance that lives in our communities. Just imagine what our world is missing by not having pathways to leadership for people,” Jessica shares. “Seventh grade was my last year of formal education. [But] I’m smart; I’m an innovator. When I took over the Center, we were [at a deficit]. It’s a $15 million organization now with a hundred staff.” 

With this expanded budget, ReImagine Freedom, along with Sister Warriors and Beloved Village, were launched. Jessica has served as President of ReImagine Freedom for three years, drawing on her experiences to help individuals and businesses overcome barriers in entrepreneurship. 

ReImagine Freedom now offers support in managing funds and building capacity to the YWFC, other initiatives that grew out of it, and additional nonprofits. The organization also raises and invests funds to launch and grow ideas, leaders, and businesses in low-income communities, advancing a broader vision of economic freedom. 

One example is Young and Free, a beauty and lifestyle brand soon to be launched in Los Angeles. Jessica explains, “All the women we work with coming home from prison, the young people we work with, are incredibly skilled in nails, lashes, tattoos, hair, and style—making something out of nothing. Our goal is to build brands that are authentic, unleash brilliance, and create real pathways to economic prosperity.” 

Beyond traditional entrepreneurship, ReImagine Freedom funds campaigns and storytellers to challenge narratives about what leadership looks like. They are currently developing a scripted series and podcast to share stories of power, resilience, and innovation from their communities. 

Amika Mota & Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition  

For Amika, the YWFC also provided a crucial bridge back to life after incarceration. She recalls it as the place where she could reconnect with her family and navigate the world again. Over the past decade, Amika has grown within the network of organizations, serving as the YWFC’s Policy Director and later helping to launch the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, where she now serves as Executive Director. 

Sister Warriors focuses on building community and strengthening people’s power to organize for systemic change. “Advocacy is an easy entryway for our people,” Amika explains. “We all tend to be fighters, and it’s natural for our folks to step into defending their sisters and siblings.” 

“The way that we organize ourselves is the way we take care of ourselves—in our communities, in prisons, when no one else cares for us,” Jessica adds. 

The coalition has chapters across the state, bringing together more than 5,000 members—including journalists, biochemists, young people, survivors of violence, and individuals who have served decades in prison. This diversity ensures each chapter reflects Sister Warriors’ core values while providing meaningful support for members.  

One chapter in Tehachapi—a community where roughly 40% of residents are incarcerated or employed by the prison system—is youth-led and has consulted with OYCR’s Youth Advisory Board. There, both children of prison staff and of incarcerated parents have come together. Amika says they’re focused on expanding access to opportunities and safe spaces for youth, while also leading political education efforts for currently incarcerated women—turning lived experience into action that strengthens the future of their unique community. 

Sister Warriors is also a grantee of the Justice Serving Network, launched in 2024 through OYCR’s contract with The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and with the support of technical assistance providers like The Public Works Alliance and Full Circle Health Network. The Justice Serving Network initiative has provided the organization with $400,000—$200,000 per year for two years—to build capacity to help community-based organizations that currently work with justice-involved young people access Medi-Cal services tailored to their needs, while participating in shared learning, problem-solving, and peer support. 

Investing in Lived Experience Creates Real Impact 

The Young Women’s Freedom Center, ReImagine Freedom, Sister Warriors, and Beloved Village are more than critical—they have created a replicable model where lived experience informs every step of program design and community engagement. 

On organizing specifically, Amika explains, “The nuanced understanding credible messengers bring is as important as a lawyer’s knowledge of the penal code. Their ability to anticipate how policies play out on the ground is unique and essential. Just on our small team at Sister Warriors, there’s 50 years of combined experience with incarceration in California’s women’s institutions. While that doesn’t define our team members, it is an expertise nobody else can bring to the table.” 

By investing time and money in credible messengers—whether currently involved in the system, newly coming home, or long out of it—OYCR and our partners ensure they don’t just survive but are supported to lead, innovate, and transform their communities if they choose. Centering these voices from the very beginning makes policies and programs practical, equitable, and responsive, turning investment into real, lasting impact. 

You can learn more about the state’s credible messenger work on the OYCR website.