Community & Social Justice
Advancing Justice.
Empowering Youth.
Transforming Communities.
We reinvest our expertise, time, and resources into initiatives that create real, lasting equity for those who need it most.
Our Flagship Initiative
The Black Youth Justice Initiative
The Black Youth Justice Initiative was created in direct response to the ongoing overrepresentation and systemic challenges faced by Black youth within Canada's justice system. It is not a program built on good intentions alone — it is grounded in decades of lived institutional experience, community trust, and legal expertise.
Through a five-pillar framework connecting the Court System, Law Enforcement, Education, the Black Community, and Government Diversion Programs, this initiative works to dismantle the structural barriers that funnel Black youth into the justice system, and to build sustainable alternatives that lead to equity and opportunity.
Legal Literacy & Education
Equipping youth and families with the knowledge they need to understand their rights, navigate the system, and advocate for themselves with confidence.
Restorative Justice
Designing and connecting youth to restorative pathways — vetted, culturally grounded programs that focus on healing rather than punishment.
Youth Empowerment
Creating mentorship, education, and leadership opportunities that redirect potential and build futures beyond the justice system.
Community-Based Intervention
Supporting evidence-based, community-led programs that prevent justice involvement before it begins — because the best outcome is no court contact at all.
Better Access to Justice
Justice That Reaches Everyone
Access to justice is not a privilege — it is a right. Yet for many Black youth and families, the justice system can feel like a closed door: intimidating, opaque, and not designed with them in mind. We believe meaningful access requires more than proximity to a courthouse.
Our work creates structured entry points at every stage of the justice process, so that no young person falls through the cracks because of a lack of information, representation, or support.
Before Charges
Pre-Charge Diversion
Working with police and Crown to identify and redirect youth before charges are ever laid — stopping the justice process before it starts.
Before Trial
Pre-Trial Support
Developing bail alternatives, community supervision options, and condition-compliance supports to reduce unnecessary pre-trial detention.
After Charge
Community Alternatives to Sentencing
Creating pathways to restorative justice and community programming in lieu of, or alongside, formal court outcomes.
After Sentence
Reintegration & Continuity
Connecting youth leaving custody to mentorship, education, and employment — so that the end of a sentence is the beginning of a new chapter.
We also prioritize the role of family navigation — ensuring that the people who love these youth understand what is happening at every stage of the process and are never left alone in the courthouse hallway without information or support.
Our Approach
Holistic, Culturally Grounded, and Restorative
Everything we do is shaped by three convictions that run through our work at every level — from individual case advocacy to institutional reform.
Prevention over Punishment
We invest in the conditions that keep young people out of the justice system in the first place — education, mentorship, community connection, and early intervention.
Healing over Harm
When youth do encounter the system, we advocate for restorative, trauma-informed responses that address root causes rather than compounding harm with punishment.
Community over Isolation
We build relationships across sectors — courts, schools, law enforcement, and community organizations — because sustainable change requires everyone at the table.
Trust as Infrastructure
We understand that the justice system cannot serve Black families equitably until those families trust it. Building that trust is deliberate, relational, and ongoing work.
Initiative Leadership
The Right Person for the Bridge
The Black Youth Justice Initiative is led by Harley Gervais, Justice of the Peace with the Ontario Court of Justice and an independent consultant with over 20 years at the centre of the systems this initiative seeks to transform. The work requires someone who understands both sides of the gap between the court and the community — and who has the credibility, relationships, and skills to bridge it.
Justice of the Peace
Ontario Court of Justice — presided over hundreds of hearings involving Black youth, with a first-hand understanding of where bias enters decision-making and where the system fails.
Legal Counsel
Supreme Court of Canada (15 years) — analyzed 600+ leave applications and 140+ appeals, developing deep pattern recognition for systemic failure and structural bias.
Mediator & Arbitrator
Equipped to design and facilitate structured dialogue between courts and communities that have historically been in opposition — with skill, neutrality, and cultural grounding.
Bilingual — EN / FR
Able to serve francophone Black youth and families fully and without barrier — an essential qualification for communities in Ontario who are doubly underserved.
Community Roots
Member, Canadian Association of Black Lawyers — trusted by both institutions and the people those institutions serve, which is the single most important qualification for this bridge role.
Federal & Policy Experience
Legal Counsel — Federal Court & AJEFO — broad experience across federal law and francophone access to justice, enabling engagement with government partners and funders.
Our Commitment
How The G-Eight Supports This Work
Social impact is not a side project for us — it is woven into the way we operate. When you work with The G-Eight, you are also contributing to meaningful, community-driven change.
A portion of our firm's revenue is directly reinvested into the Black Youth Justice Initiative, funding the programs and consultancy work that reach youth and families.
We develop accessible tools, workshops, and resources for youth and families navigating the justice system — in both English and French.
We partner with organizations serving Black youth and marginalized communities — building a vetted, court-endorsed network of restorative justice practitioners across Ontario.
We train court actors — judges, Crown attorneys, duty counsel, probation officers, and administrative staff — on equity-informed, trauma-responsive practices that change outcomes.
We collect and publish racial equity data — tracking bail rates, diversion uptake, and reintegration outcomes — to hold institutions accountable and drive evidence-based reform.
Our initiative is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals — SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
Get Involved
We Welcome Partners Who Share This Vision
We are actively seeking collaborators who believe that a more just system is possible — and who are willing to do the work to build it. Whether you are an institution, an organization, or an individual, there is a place for you in this initiative.
Together, we can reimagine justice and build stronger futures for the next generation. This initiative is more than a program — it is a movement toward equity, dignity, and lasting impact.
Let's Build Something Greater
If you would like to learn more, partner with us, or support this work — we invite you to connect.
Connect With Us"We build bridges where division has taken root. We turn tension into transformation, and conflict into collaboration."