A Day in the Life: Harry Grammer

Where Ocean and Community Connect

After a personal encounter with the juvenile justice system, Obama Fellow Harry Grammer found his purpose in life: to help other justice system-involved youth build a brighter future for themselves. He founded New Earth to mentor and empower at-risk youth to transform their lives through art, poetry, educational, and vocational programs.

Dive into an outing Harry took with his mentees and LA Waterkeeper, a marine protection agency, in an effort to expand their horizons.

“I was one of these young people. I spent five years on juvenile probation as a young man. I left home at 18-years-old. I was a college drop out. I realized that the best thing I could do is help young people who may have traveled down the same path as I did.“

Harry Grammer

In addition to group activities like these with LA Waterkeeper, New Earth offers counseling, job training, mentoring, and educational programs for young people ages 13-25.

“We need to listen to our young people and find out what they’re longing for and what they need.”—Harry Grammer

Harry’s organization, New Earth, has slashed recidivism rates from 69 percent to 5 percent among its full participants.

"The experiences I had struggling through homelessness and juvenile probation actually gave me the heart to create something like this.”
—Harry Grammer on starting New Earth