Amari Jones, a community activist, mentor and recording artist, is bringing his passion for empowering youth to Redwood, where he currently works as a Campus Staff Assistant. His journey from a struggling student to a leader in youth advocacy highlights his resilience and long-term commitment to making a lasting impact in the Bay Area and beyond. 

Jones was born in Richmond, California, and later moved to Benicia, California. He attended Albany High School, located near Berkeley. His early years were marked by trouble and rebellion. Jones faced significant challenges and, at one point, was at risk of not graduating. However, his high school Campus Supervisor, Josette Wheaton, provided the support he needed to turn things around. 

“[Wheaton] helped me realize that I mattered — that I wasn’t alone,” Jones said. 

After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career, signing with Warner Music Group in the late 2010s. Following his time in Los Angeles, Jones returned to the Bay Area, inspired by rapper Ermias Asghedom — better known as Nipsey Hussle — and his community-focused legacy . 

“I was in such a dark place, in a dark time. I went from nothing to having hundreds of thousands of dollars in Hollywood to going back to nothing, which is hard to deal with to this day,” Jones said. “[Asghedom] was really the one that motivated me to spread the word of peace.”

Jones recalls a pivotal moment when he developed a relationship with Nipsey Hussle’s brother, Samiel Asghedom, shortly before Nipsey Hussle’s tragic death. Jones shared his vision for helping the community, and Asghedom encouraged him to return to the Bay Area to continue what he called “The Marathon.”

“[Samiel Asghedom] told me, ‘Go back to where you’re from and continue the marathon.’ Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and I knew I had to make an impact back home,” Jones said. 

Committed to this goal, Jones returned to the Bay Area, focusing on how he could make a difference for youth and mimic Nipsey Hussle’s positive impact on his community. Wanting to make amends with his former teachers, Jones returned to Albany High School, where he had graduated a few years prior. 

“I went back to Albany and apologized to everybody,” Jones said. “I asked, ‘What can I do to make sure these kids don’t go down the same path that I went down?’”

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Jones received letters of recommendation, which opened the doors to his next steps. He went on to work at Alameda Charter School and transitioned to working at Dublin High School, where he further developed his skills and made meaningful connections.

After a tragic school stabbing at Santa Rosa’s Montgomery High School in 2023, Jones took time off from his role at Dublin to support students at Montgomery. 

“Montgomery was right next to where I used to live and I passed that school every day. When I heard what happened, it touched me differently,” Jones said. 

The students at Montgomery High School organized protests and walkouts due to the tragedy, advocating for campus safety. Inspired by such powerful student-led actions, Jones felt the need to continue the students’ legacy, leading to the creation of the Voice of the Youth project.

The Voice of the Youth, founded by Jones, emphasizes campus safety, violence prevention, mentoring youth and mental health advocacy. Jones has partnered with over 250 schools in Northern California through this initiative, connecting with students, educators and policymakers to drive policy change.  

“I didn’t want [Montgomery’s tragedy] to be a moment people forgot about. I wanted to keep what [the students] started alive and make sure students’ voices would continue to be heard,” Jones said. 

Since the creation of the Voice of the Youth, Jones has collaborated with local leaders, including Santa Rosa’s Chief of Police, the mayor of Santa Rosa, California State Senator Scott Wiener and U.S. House Representative Eric Swalwell, to bring students into conversations about community safety and mental health. His hands-on approach 

and ability to empower students beyond the classroom have become defining aspects of his work.

At Redwood, Jones is using his role to continue his mission for change. He focuses on mentoring students who may be struggling, building relationships and spreading a message of resilience. 

“You never know what a kid could be going through. Maybe they’re having the worst day of their life and that’s why just going up to them and saying, ‘Hey, have a great day,’ can make a huge difference,” Jones said. 

Sophomore Brady Holland has gotten to know Jones well in the short time he has been at Redwood and appreciates his driven work.

“He’s super outgoing, nice and respectful to everybody,” Holland said. “I see him every day walking around campus, always doing his best to put smiles on kids’ faces and really make them feel important.” 

For Holland, Jones’s presence on campus is unique because he connects with students in a down-to-earth manner. 

“I would honestly say he’s my favorite person on campus because he feels like a student. He’s so positive and always willing to hold friendly conversations with people,” Holland said. 

Jones, who is verified on Instagram, enjoys sharing his music journey and youth advocacy work with the public. He decided to use his music for social change, a shift inspired by Nipsey Hussle’s passion for leveraging his influence to improve the community. 

“People look up to music artists, so I thought, ‘What if I followed [Nipsey Hussle’s] example? What if I used that influence for good?’ Regardless of some curse words in a song or certain [opinions] that people may not agree with, what really matters are the messages behind them,” Jones said.  

This mindset has shaped Jones’s goal to use his platform to spread his message of uplifting the youth and sparking change through music and advocacy work. As Jones looks to the future, he’s determined to expand the Voice of the Youth to Southern California, aiming to reach as many schools as possible. 

“There are 10,000 schools in California alone and I want to make a difference at every single one,” Jones said. 

Click here to visit the official Voice of the Youth project website