Earn & Learn Juvenile Restorative Community Service (Earn & Learn) is the only community service/restitution program in Buncombe County or the city of Asheville. Earn & Learn accepts juveniles between the ages of 11 and 18 referred from the Division of Juvenile Justice to complete court-ordered community service throughout our service area. If a client must pay restitution (damages) to a victim, then a client may earn a wage of $7.00 an hour for up to $700.00 or 100 hours. We serve both diverted and adjudicated youth through supervised work and interactive journaling. Juveniles in the Earn & Learn program provide an important service to the community while acknowledging the harm they may have caused through their choices.

Earn & Learn Juvenile Restorative Community Service provides face-to-face interaction with community members, adult staff members, and other youth in a setting that is in stark contrast to school and home. This allows juveniles to express themselves in a positive environment where they come to understand the consequences of both positive and negative decision-making. Our process of restorative justice (giving back to the victim, community, family, and juvenile), not only provides compensation to victims, but also allows the juvenile to change his/her worldview, leading to positive decision making and fewer experiences with the juvenile court system.

For more information about the Earn & Learn program or our specific community service locations, please contact Juan Holladay, Director of Program Services and Community Development, at (828)707-3800 or juan@buncombealternatives.org.