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ABOUT US Amachi Pittsburgh raises awareness and delivers services to give children a fighting chance in Allegheny County-- when the community is knowledgeable about the challenges that they face, children have the support they need to thrive. This awareness creates policy-level change so that youth are unburdened from a system that has made them more vulnerable to the criminal justice system.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We center the voices and the needs of youth and families in our work. We are accountable to them, our local and statewide stakeholders, our funders, and ourselves.
FAITH-BASED
Faith is a tenet of the Amachi model and a core value embedded in the communities we serve. We are guided by ethical and moral principles and we seek to cultivate a strong, interfaith support system. Because of this goal, we accept and welcome people of all beliefs.
EQUITY & JUSTICE
We apply a racial equity and social justice lens to our work, recognizing the role all forms of racism play in rendering black and brown families disproportionately involved in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. We advocate for all youth who are vulnerable to the school-to-prison pipeline.
FAMILY-CENTERED
We holistically serve youth within the context of family, valuing their strengths. Our families drive our practice. We push for policy reforms and community support systems that are informed by their voices.
EVIDENCE-BASED
We are guided by data and what we know works for our youth and our families. We use this evidence to inform our community about how to better support children who are impacted by trauma.
GROWTH MINDSET
We embrace continuous learning and resiliency in our practice, recognizing that youth and families have the inborn capacity to solve problems and overcome adversity. We believe in the potential and possibilities of our youth and families as well as our staff, volunteers, and communities.
MEET OUR TEAM
MEET OUR BOARD
M. Gayle Moss
Chair
Evy Severino
Vice Chair
Andie Young
Secretary
Dan Erin
Treasurer
Michelle Berryman
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Damon Bethea
United Way of Southwestern PA
Will Carpenter
Carpenter Construction
Michelle Chenn
Axiom Advancement Corporation
Colleen Fedor
The Mentoring Partnership of SWPA
Leah Hemminger
PPG
Fred Massey
Visions 2020
Dr. Deborah Moss
UPMC Pediatrician
Christina O'Toole
Avenue Two Travel
Bryan Stout
PPG
Maisha Sturdivant
Highmark
Derrick Wilson
The Wilson Group
“[A]machi really has this incredible advocacy arm. And not every community resource organization has an advocacy arm, many of them are designed to fill a hole to answer a single need, as opposed to then taking that need as a reflection of an issue that needs to be brought in a broader way to be solved systematically.” A Pediatrician and Partner
AMACHI PITTSBURGH PARTNERS
